Sighting 4663255
Vespula (Genus)
Vespula germanica or Vespula vulgaris at Tawonga, VIC
Identify this sighting
| Vespula (Genus) | 22 Apr 2025 | DiBickers | ||
| Apis mellifera | 21 Apr 2025 | CarbonAI | ||
| Unverified | 21 Apr 2025 | DrDJDavidJ |
Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.
User's notes
hive in log
2 comments
DiBickers
wrote:
22 Apr 2025
European wasps are aggressive hunters of insects and spiders, which they feed to their larvae. The adults themselves eat pollen, nectar, other carbohydrates and secretions produced by their young. This wasp out-competes native species for food resources as well as virtually depleting an area of its insect and spider fauna. Vespula germanica also has a large negative impact on human receation activities. Nests should be reported.
"A typical European wasp nest is started in the spring by a single queen emerging from hibernation. She raises the first worker wasps herself, which then help her raise more workers, and so the nest grows through the summer. Come the autumn most workers die out while the newly born queens search for a warm, dark place to hibernate." (Dr Reeson, Adelaide University)
Other online resources:
https://museumvictoria.com.au/wasps/
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/animals/invertebrates/invasive-invertebrates/wasps
"A typical European wasp nest is started in the spring by a single queen emerging from hibernation. She raises the first worker wasps herself, which then help her raise more workers, and so the nest grows through the summer. Come the autumn most workers die out while the newly born queens search for a warm, dark place to hibernate." (Dr Reeson, Adelaide University)
Other online resources:
https://museumvictoria.com.au/wasps/
https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/science/plants-animals-fungi/animals/invertebrates/invasive-invertebrates/wasps
KylieWaldon
wrote:
23 Apr 2025
They can also bounce off spider webs! Seen them do it a few times now, rather than get caught in it.
Location information
- Coordinates 147.258416-36.699818
- Altitude 628.9m
- Places Tawonga, VIC
Sighting information
- At least 1 Abundance
- 21 Apr 2025 12:02 PM Recorded on
- DrDJDavidJ Recorded by
- 12mm to 25mm Animal size
Collections
- DrDJDavidJ NatureMapr Social or paper-nest wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae & Vespinae) Wasps (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) Insects Vespula (Genus)
Species information
- Vespula (Genus) Scientific name
- Vespula germanica or Vespula vulgaris Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Exotic
- Major weed or pest
- Up to 1332m Recorded at altitude
Record quality
Quality score
4 / 7
- Images or audio
- Verified by an expert moderator
- Description
- Additional attributes
- More than one media file
- Nearby sighting(s) of same species
- GPS evidence of location