Medium wasp
| Medium wasp | ||||||||||||
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Middle wasp ( Dolichovespula media ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dolichovespula media | ||||||||||||
| ( Retzius , 1783) |
The mean wasp or small hornet ( Dolichovespula media ) is a fold wasp from the genus of the long-headed wasps ( Dolichovespula ).
The species is relatively peaceful, it can only appear aggressive in the nest area.
features
Queens of this species reach a body length of 18 to 22 millimeters, workers and drones are 15 to 19 millimeters long. Their body is very variable in color from strong red-yellow to almost black. Different color variants can also occur within the same nest. Workers and drones are mostly black and have narrow, yellow markings. The eyes of the animals are predominantly yellow in color. The species, especially the queen with its red markings on the thorax , can be confused with the hornet ( Vespa crabro ), but has a significantly slimmer build.
Occurrence
The species is distributed in Europe north to the Arctic Circle. In southern Europe, their occurrence is limited to mountainous regions. It inhabits light forests and bushes, preferably also in human settlement areas. The animals fly from the end of April to mid-September, with workers from the end of May, and queens and drones of the new generation from the end of July. The species is common in Central Europe, but not common.
Way of life
The light gray marbled paper nests have closed air pockets and are largely made of poplar wood . They reach a maximum size of 31 by 27 centimeters and consist of a maximum of six, usually three to five honeycombs, the edges of which are bent up. These contain up to 1800 cells, with a maximum of 900 to 1700 individuals then living in one nest, of which 150 to 500 are workers. The nests are created openly in bushes or hedges and also on eaves at a height of one to four meters. In young nests, the entrance can be extended downwards like a hose, but this entrance tube is removed after a while. It is not uncommon for the entrance of old nests to be in the lower third on the side. The colony develops relatively quickly, but dies quite early, usually in August.
supporting documents
literature
- Heiko Bellmann : bees, wasps, ants. Hymenoptera of Central Europe . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co KG, Stuttgart 1995, ISBN 3-440-09690-4 .
- Rolf Witt: Wasps. Observe, determine. Naturbuch-Verlag, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-89440-243-1 .
