Wasps

Family: Vespidae, e.g. Vespula vulgaris

Appearance

•  Yellow and black abdomen. Markings will differ according to species.
•  Umbrella wasp nests are usually small with only 50 to 100 cells.
•  Once the first brood of adults is produced, the queen remains at the nest and the remainder of the colony forages for food to feed the next generation of young.

Lifecycle

•  Young Queens overwinter and emerge in the spring to start nest building and lay eggs.
•  Workers (sterile females) emerge during early summer and take over nest building. Queen continues to lay eggs.
•  New queens and males mate in early autumn.
•  Nest dies during winter, including all the males and workers. Only Queens survive to the next year.

Lifecycle

•  Colony size - medium to large (up to as many as 25,000 individuals).
•  Preferred nest sites – lofts, wall cavities, old rodent burrows, hollow trees and bushes.
•  Nest construction – pulped wood (paper). Combs set horizontally. A new nest is produced each year.
•  Swarming – does not swarm.
•  Food preferences – Will take insects and sweet foods
•  Stings readily and repeatedly