Wasps

Common Wasp Vespula Vulgaris
Appearance	Fairly large insects with a marked constriction or waist in the middle of the body, between the thorax and abdomen.
	They are brightly banded in black and yellow or, in the case of the hornet, yellow and brown.
	Fairly long, thick antennae. There are 12 segments in the female and 13 in the male.
	Two pairs of wings. The hind pair are usually hidden beneath the front pair and, when at rest, the wings are folded lengthwise in the manner of a fan.
	A pair of biting/scraping mandibles.
The sting	The needle-like sting is concealed near the tip of the abdomen. It is a modified ovipositor and is therefore only possessed by the female. Male wasps do not sting.
Life cycle	Young queens hibernate and emerge in spring to begin building a nest and laying eggs.
	Workers (sterile females) emerge during summer months and take over nest-building duties allowing the queen to continue laying eggs.
	New queens and males mate in early autumn.
	Nests die during the winter months, including all males and workers. Only queens survive to the next year.
Nest size	Can be up to 25,000 wasps.
Nesting areas	Bushes, wall cavities, roof spaces, barge boards, ground holes.
Diet	Insects, rotting meat and fish, and sweet food including nectar and fruit.
Comparison to bees	Unlike bees, wasps will not swarm.