The German Wasp
The German or European Wasp: Vespula germanica
Consistently proven to be the most aggressive British wasp
The German Wasp (Vespula germanica): Key Features
Length: 12 - 20mm long
Body: Black and yellow with black spots on its abdomen
Face: Has three black spots on its face
Nest: Likes to nest in hollows in trees or in the ground etc with 5 - 10000+ individuals
The German Wasp joins V.vulgaris as one of the two most abundant wasp species in the British Isles. It is wide spread throughout the northern hemisphere and is now found in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, North America and Argentina.
Cast Characteristics:
Females are 12-16mm long, antennas consist of 12 segments and a 6 segmented abdomen is equipped with a modified ovipositor that doubles as a sting.
Males are 12-18mm long, and have 13 segments to their antennas and an abdomen consisting of 7 segments without a sting.
Queens as you would expect are larger at 17-20mm long and despite their ability to lay eggs they can still use their ovipositor as a sting.
Nesting Behavior
The nest is made with chewed up wood pulp mixed with saliva and is greyish in colour reaching football size with a diameter of 30cm (12in) that contains over 10,000 individuals.
In the northern hemispher environmental conditions take their toll and once abandoned in the autumn it quickly disintegrates. In the warmer climates such as Africa and Australia, the nest may continue to grow over consecutive seasons. This results in significant nests with over 100,000 individuals that are potentially very dangerous.
It usually chooses to nest under ground yet is commonly found in the loft spaces and other cavities of dwellings. V. germanica can be aggressive so caution must be taken when in proximity to these insects.
Compare Wasps & Bees?
First is the Bumble Bee then Honey Bee and then a Hornet and then a more common Wasp. It is clear to see the differences between them. If you have bees "CLICK HERE
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Bristol Wasp Control with WaspKill UK. Getting rid of Wasps and other insects like Ants, Bees and Fleas is not as simple as many pesticide manufacturers will lead you to believe. The chemicals or poisons on offer in supermarkets and shops often have a fraction of the effect that is achieved through professional products and this means you are likely to get through many cans of treatment without actually achieving full control. As the only Bristol Pest Control exterminator offering a dedicated wasp control service, we are able to deliver a variety of Pest Control Solutions that are guaranteed to work.
Environmental health services, are all about understanding the pests you are trying to eliminate or prevent so you can make the environment less conducive to them. Wasps for example creates a wasp nest early in the year so if you wanted to exterminate wasps in The Bristol Area you would probably guess that checking for a new wasp nest in your loft in April and May would allow you to remove a wasp nest safely before it became too large. By understanding your pest, you are able to plan treatments in advance, before infestation occurs and the cost of elimination becomes high.
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