Oak Apple Gall Wasp

Oak Apple Gall Wasp

Biorhiza pallida

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Snowdonia National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

11 Verified sightings at Snowdonia National Park From 2019 to 2026
50 In all 4 parks
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Oak Apple Gall Wasp

Biorhiza pallida, also known as the oak apple gall wasp, is a gall wasp species in the family Cynipidae. This species is a member of the tribe Cynipini: the oak gall wasp tribe. Cynipini is the tribe partially responsible for the formation of galls known as oak apples on oak trees. These are formed after the wasp lays eggs inside the leaf buds and the plant tissues swell as the larvae of the gall wasp develop inside. This wasp has a widespread distribution within Europe.

Biorhiza pallida has a complex life cycle involving an agamic female that reproduces by parthenogenesis without a male during the winter/spring, and a summer generation of adults where individuals are either male or female. These mate and produce fertilised eggs.

The wingless agamic wasp is between 4.8 and 6.3 millimetres (0.19 and 0.25 in) long. The head is golden brown with mid-brown eyes and orange ocelli (simple eyes). The long antennae have fifteen segments and are orangeish-brown. The thorax, legs and bulbous, glistening gaster (abdomen) are yellowish-brown.

Male and female wasps that develop in the summer generation are smaller with a length between 2 and 3.5 mm (0.08 and 0.14 in). The head... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
3 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
4 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
2 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
3 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
4 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
5 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
6 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Prague 🇨🇿 Czechia
~10%
8 Stockholm 🇸🇪 Sweden
~10%
9 Essen 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
10 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Oak Apple Gall Wasp in Snowdonia National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Oak Apple Gall Wasp sighting in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 202nd most-seen of the 387 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Oak Apple Gall Wasp in Snowdonia National Park?

April and May

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Oak Apple Gall Wasp in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Oak Apple Gall Wasp?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Oak Apple Gall Wasp sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Snowdonia National Park the best place to see an Oak Apple Gall Wasp?

Yes

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Oak Apple Gall Wasp sightings, Snowdonia National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%) and Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (Spain, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Oak Apple Gall Wasp live in Snowdonia National Park?

Same family: Cynipidae

The closest relatives of the Oak Apple Gall Wasp that you can see in Snowdonia National Park (family Cynipidae, Gall Wasps) are Oak Marble Gall Wasp (about 20%), Common Spangle Gall Wasp (about 10%) and Oak Artichoke Gall Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Oak Apple Gall Wasp sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Oak Apple Gall Wasp is recorded against all the insects logged in Snowdonia National Park (11 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.

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