Common wasp
Vespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Status not recordedbees wasps and ants
The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) is an insect in the family Vespidae, listed under the animal subgroup Bees. It belongs to the class Insecta, order Hymenoptera, suborder Apocrita, superfamily Vespoidea, subfamily Vespinae and genus Vespula.
Quick facts about the common wasp
Its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758), and other English names for it are Wasp, Common yellowjacket, Common European wasp and Common European yellowjacket. The Catalogue of Life lists the common wasp as a living species, not extinct.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- 1.3 cm – 1.9 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Nectarivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- human_modifiedsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the common wasp?
Photos of the common wasp
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the common wasp live?
Not recorded
What is the common wasp?
Vespula vulgaris, known as the common wasp, is a species of wasp found in regions that include the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, India, China, New Zealand and Australia. It is sometimes known in English as the European wasp, but the same name is used for the species Vespula germanica or German wasp. In 2010, the ostensibly Vespula vulgaris wasps in North America were found to be a different species, Vespula alascensis.
From the Wikipedia article “Vespula vulgaris” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vespula_vulgaris&oldid=1370500378), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the common wasp endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the common wasp classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classInsecta
- orderHymenoptera
- familyVespidae
- genusVespula
- SpeciesVespula vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Vespa alascensis, Vespa communis, Vespa mixta, Vespa pseudogermanica, Vespa sexcincta, Vespa vulgaris, Vespa vulgaris var. pseudogermanica, Vespa westwoodi, Vespula vulgaris vetus
Other names and names in other languages (46)
- Common European waspEnglish
- Common European yellowjacketEnglish
- Common yellowjacketEnglish
- WaspEnglish
- Europese wespeAfrikaans
- VespetaAragonese
- Gemeiner Wasp / WapsBavarian
- vespa comunaCatalan
- vosa obecnáCzech
- Almindelig gedehamsDanish
- Gemeine WespeGerman
- ΣφήκαGreek
- Avispa comúnSpanish
- Avispa EuropeaSpanish
- Chaqueta amarilla europeaSpanish
- Chaqueta Amarilla PeludaSpanish
- Liht-maaherilaneEstonian
- piha-ampiainenFinnish
- Vanlig vespaFaroese
- Guêpe communeFrench
- Guêpe commune d'EuropeFrench
- speachScottish Gaelic
- connspeachScottish Gaelic
- connspeachanScottish Gaelic
- speachanScottish Gaelic
- Obična osaCroatian
- KecskedarázsHungarian
- Közönséges darázsHungarian
- Իշամեղու սովորականArmenian
- HolugeitungurIcelandic
- キオビクロスズメバチJapanese
- 구북구땅벌Korean
- Paprastoji VapsvaLithuanian
- jordvepsNorwegian Bokmål
- gewone wespDutch
- LimonadewespDutch
- Osa pospolitaPolish
- Vespa-comumPortuguese
- Viespe comunăRomanian
- Оса обыкновеннаяRussian
- dábálaš vievssisNorthern Sami
- Osa obyčajnáSlovak
- jordgetingSwedish
- vanlig getingSwedish
- Оса звичайнаUkrainian
- 普通黃胡蜂Chinese
Relatives of the common wasp
Other species in the same genus Vespula.
German wasp
Vespula germanica
Red-banded yellowjacket
Vespula rufa
Cuckoo wasp
Vespula austriaca
Common Asian yellowjacket
Vespula flaviceps
Western yellowjacket
Vespula pensylvanica
Eastern yellowjacket
Vespula maculifrons
CompareCommon wasp vs German waspCommon wasp vs Red-banded yellowjacketCommon wasp vs Cuckoo waspCommon wasp vs Common Asian yellowjacket
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common wasp?
The common wasp is an insect in the family Vespidae and the order Hymenoptera, listed under the animal subgroup Bees.
What is the scientific name of the common wasp?
The scientific name of the common wasp is Vespula vulgaris, in the genus Vespula.
Who named Vespula vulgaris and when?
The scientific name Vespula vulgaris carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
What other names does the common wasp have?
Other English names for the common wasp are Wasp, Common yellowjacket, Common European wasp and Common European yellowjacket.
Is the common wasp extinct?
No, the common wasp is a living species, not extinct, according to the Catalogue of Life.
What subfamily does the common wasp belong to?
The common wasp belongs to the subfamily Vespinae, within the superfamily Vespoidea and suborder Apocrita.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe · CC BY 4.0 · 2.0
Chauvier, Y., Adde, A., Bergamini, A. et al. (2025) TraitCH: a multi-taxa functional trait dataset for Switzerland and Europe. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15063844 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-wasp
“Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-wasp.
@misc{common_wasp_2026,
title = {Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-wasp},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}