Wasp

Habitat:

Nest sites are mostly underground with entrance tunnels sometimes reaching 45 cm in length. Commonin roof spaces, where the nests can be up to 1.2 m across. The nest envelope is variously coloured yellowish to brown due to the workers collecting both rotted and fairly sound wood fibres. Average sized mature colonies of V. vulgaris have about 7500 small cells and 2300 large cells. They rear about 10000 workers, 1000 queens and 1000 males. Info: http://www.bwars.com/index.php?q=wasp/ve...

Notes:

In common with all other social wasps, the workers catch various insects and spiders which are malaxated (chewed up) and fed to the larvae. This species is not regarded as being scarce or threatened and is widely distributed throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The roundworm Pheromermis pachysoma, the fly-like beetle Metoecus paradoxus, the conopid fly Leopoldius coronatus and the ichneumonid wasp Sphecophaga vesparum are recorded as parasites of this species (Edwards 1980, smith 1969).