# Wasp (*Vespula vulgaris*)

> The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) is a familiar yellow-and-black flying insect of gardens, woodlands, and urban areas across the northern hemisphere. Workers grow to about 1.2 to 1.7 cm long and fly at up to around 25 km/h, living in large paper nests built by a single queen. Wasps are omnivores that hunt insects to feed their grubs and visit nectar and sugary foods themselves. Workers live only a few weeks while queens survive about a year.

- **Category:** Insect
- **Conservation status (IUCN):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Gardens, woodlands, and urban areas worldwide; the common wasp is found across the Northern Hemisphere.
- **Canonical page:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/wasp/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Insecta
- **Order:** Hymenoptera
- **Family:** Vespidae
- **Genus:** Vespula

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Vespula vulgaris |
| Diet | Omnivore (insects, nectar, sugary foods) |
| Habitat | Gardens, woodlands, and urban areas |
| Lifespan | Workers a few weeks; queens about a year |
| Length | 1.2–1.7 cm (0.5–0.7 in) |
| Top speed | Up to ~25 km/h (16 mph) in flight |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |

## Life inside the colony

Common wasps are social insects that live in colonies founded each spring by a single overwintered queen. She builds a small paper nest from chewed wood fibres and raises the first workers, who then take over expanding the nest and gathering food. By late summer a nest may hold thousands of workers. The colony produces new queens and males in autumn, after which the old nest dies off and only newly mated queens survive the winter.

## Flight and foraging

Wasps are strong, agile fliers, reaching speeds of around 25 km/h as they range out from the nest in search of food. Their two pairs of wings and narrow waist give them precise control in the air, letting them hover, dart, and land accurately. Foragers can travel considerable distances and return laden with prey or sugary liquids. Good eyesight and a keen sense of smell help them locate food quickly.

## What wasps eat

The common wasp is an omnivore with a diet that shifts through the year. For much of the summer, workers hunt caterpillars, flies, and other insects, which they chew up and feed to the grubs back in the nest. In return, the larvae produce a sugary secretion the adults consume. Later in the season, when the larvae are gone, adults turn to nectar, ripe fruit, and sugary human foods, which is why they become a nuisance at picnics in late summer.

## The sting and defence

Unlike honeybees, wasps have a smooth stinger and can sting repeatedly without dying. The sting is used to subdue prey and to defend the nest, and a threatened colony can mount an aggressive collective response. A wasp under attack may also release an alarm pheromone that summons nearby nestmates. For most people a sting is painful but harmless, though some individuals are dangerously allergic.

## Role in the garden

As predators of caterpillars, flies, and other insects, common wasps help keep populations of garden pests in check throughout the summer. When they switch to feeding on nectar and fruit later in the season, they also act as occasional pollinators. This makes them more useful to gardeners than their reputation suggests. Their appetite for sugary foods in autumn is simply a sign that the colony's hunting season is ending.

## Lifespan and the yearly cycle

The wasp colony follows a strict annual rhythm. Worker wasps live only a few weeks during the busy summer, while a queen can survive about a year, long enough to overwinter and found a new colony the following spring. In autumn the founding queen and her workers die, and only the newly mated young queens live on, sheltering through winter in cracks and crevices. The common wasp is abundant and listed as Least Concern.

## Frequently asked questions

### What do wasps eat?

Common wasps are omnivores. In summer they hunt insects such as caterpillars and flies to feed their grubs, while the adults drink nectar and sugary liquids. Later in the year they turn to fruit and sweet human foods, which is why they bother picnics in late summer.

### Can a wasp sting more than once?

Yes. Unlike honeybees, wasps have a smooth stinger and can sting repeatedly without harming themselves. They use the sting to subdue prey and to defend their nest.

### How long do wasps live?

Worker wasps live only a few weeks during summer. A queen lives about a year, long enough to survive the winter and start a new colony the following spring.

### Why do wasps become a nuisance in late summer?

By late summer the queen has stopped producing larvae, so the sugary secretion the larvae fed the adults disappears. The workers then seek out nectar, ripe fruit, and sweet human foods, bringing them to picnics and bins just as the colony's season ends.

### Are wasps useful for anything?

Yes. Wasps hunt large numbers of caterpillars, flies, and other insects, helping control garden pests through the summer. When they feed on nectar and fruit later in the year, they can also act as occasional pollinators.

### How fast can a wasp fly?

Common wasps can fly at speeds of around 25 km/h (about 16 mph). Their two pairs of wings give them precise control, allowing them to hover, dart, and land accurately while foraging.

## Sources

- [IUCN Red List — Vespula vulgaris.](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Vespula%20vulgaris&searchType=species)
- [Animal Diversity Web — Vespula vulgaris. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vespula_vulgaris/)
- [Wikipedia — Wasp.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespula_vulgaris)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/wasp/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.