Back

European Paper Wasp

Polistes dominula

Classification

Class
Insecta
Family
Eumenidae

The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) is one of the most common and well-known species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. Its diet is more diverse than those of most Polistes species—many genera of insects versus mainly caterpillars in other Polistes—giving it superior survivability compared to other wasp species during a shortage of resources. The dominant females are the principal egg layers, while the subordinate females ("auxiliaries") or workers primarily forage and do not lay eggs.

Distribution

Jur Heijnen · CC BY-SA
Loading map…
Countries in the Picchu catalog
Netherlands · 11,137Germany · 7,376Spain · 1,409France · 1,263Italy · 521Switzerland · 257Belgium · 182Luxembourg · 147United Kingdom · 29