Vespula vulgaris
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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.
Vespula vulgaris is a eusocial vespid that builds its tan paper nest in or on a structure capable of supporting it. A founding queen searches for a hollow tree, wall cavity, rock crevice, or even a hole made by other animals to build a nest. The extraordinary adaptation skills of V. vulgaris enable it to live in a wide range of habitats, from very humid areas to artificial environments such as gardens and human structures. This species, along with other wasp species such as V. germanica, has impacted ecosystems, especially those in New Zealand and Australia, where they were imported by humans, and frequently cause damage to fruit crops and endanger humans.
The name Vespula vulgaris comes from the origin of the word vulgaris, which... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 2 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 6 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 9 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 7 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 9 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 10 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common European Yellowjacket sighting in Rakiura National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 45th most-seen of the 118 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common European Yellowjacket in Rakiura National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to December, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common European 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.
Among the best
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Common European Yellowjacket sightings, Rakiura National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tierra del Fuego National Park (Argentina, about 20%) and Abel Tasman National Park (New Zealand, about 20%).
Same order: Hymenoptera
The closest relatives of the Common European Yellowjacket that you can see in Rakiura National Park (order Hymenoptera, Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies) are Buff-Tailed Bumble Bee (about 30%), Priocnemis conformis (about 10%) and Netelia ephippiata (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common European Yellowjacket is recorded against all the insects logged in Rakiura National Park (13 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.
