Dolichovespula adulterina
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
Dolichovespula adulterina is a species of parasitic social wasp found in the Palearctic region. D. adulterina feeds on a variety of foods, including insects, spiders, arthropods, meat, molluscs, fruit, nectar, and larval secretions. D. adulterina was formerly considered to be synonymous with D. arctica from the Holarctic region, but more recent research indicates that D. arctica is a separate species.
D. adulterina is one of a few parasitic members the subfamily Vespinae, most species of which are eusocial. The length of the forewing is 13.0–14.0 mm in females and 10.0–12.0 mm in males. Commonly, its body is an ivory colour, but it can be pale yellow on occasion; the pale yellow subspecies are found in the western Nearctic and Palearctic regions. Usually, the clypeus is elongated, but sometimes it will be small and round. Females almost always have a black, disc-like spot, whereas males have a black mark that extends to the ventral margin of the clypeus. Melanic individuals have a black spot extending to the dorsal margin. The postocular band in females is narrower relative to the lateral postocular stripes, whereas in males it is... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dolichovespula adulterina sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 406th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Dolichovespula adulterina in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Dolichovespula adulterina sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Dolichovespula adulterina sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (United States, about 10%), Glacier National Park (United States, about 10%) and Grand Teton National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Dolichovespula
The closest relatives of the Dolichovespula adulterina that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (genus Dolichovespula, Aerial Yellowjackets) are Bald-Faced Hornet (about 10%) and Common Aerial Yellowjacket (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Dolichovespula adulterina is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah 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.
