Vespula rufa
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Vespula rufa, commonly known as the red wasp, is a social wasp species belonging to the genus Vespula. It is found in northern and central Europe and parts of Asia. Vespula rufa is characterised by red-brown markings and body segmentation, with the appearance varying amongst the different roles of individuals in the species. These wasps build small nests in dry banks underground that are not far below the surface. The colony cycle begins in the fall. Vespula rufa feed on live insects. One interesting fact about Vespula rufa is that the queen policing occurs in the species, and that worker policing occurs at much lower rates than other species in the genus Vespula. There are predators and parasites of the species. The species goes through a series of events before leaving the nest.
Vespula rufa is a member of the genus Vespula. Within the genus, this species is most closely related to Vespula squamosa. Other species in Vespula include V. germanica, V. maculifrons, and V. vulgaris. Outside of the genus, Dolichovespula is the next most closely related genus.
Typical red wasps, V. r. rufa, of the western Palearctic, have yellow markings. Eastern Palaearctic... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Banded Yellowjacket sighting in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 940th most-seen of the 1277 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-Banded Yellowjacket in Pyrénées National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and September–April, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-Banded Yellowjacket sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Red-Banded Yellowjacket sightings, Pyrénées National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 10%) and Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-Banded Yellowjacket is recorded against all the insects logged in Pyrénées National Park (12 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
