Median wasp

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Median wasp
Dolichovespula media01.jpg
Male D. media
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Dolichovespula
Species:
D. media
Binomial name
Dolichovespula media
Retzius 1783
Dolichovespula media distribution.png
Range of D. media [1]
Synonyms   [2]
  • Dolichovespula borealisLee, 1986
  • Dolichovespula sugareIshikawa, 1969
  • Dolichovespula conjugensPaul, 1943
  • Vespa crassaHerrich-Schaffer, 1841
  • Vespa flavicinctaSchenck, 1853
  • Vespa geeriiLepeletier, 1836
  • Vespa lineolataPérez, 1910
  • Vespa rufoscutellataSchenck, 1853
  • Vespa similisSchneck, 1853

The median wasp (Dolichovespula media) is a species of social wasp of the family Vespidae found throughout Europe and Asia. [3] It builds aerial paper nests often in shrubs or trees, and occasionally under the eaves of buildings. [4] It is most common to see this wasp between May and October during its 3.3 month colony cycle. [3] [5] Behaviours of this wasp include nest defense, curling which is believed to function in brood incubation, and gastral vibration which is involved in larval feeding. [6] The median wasp has a halplodiploid sex determination system that results in a high level of relatedness within the colony. [7] This species is not usually aggressive but will sting if they feel their nest is threatened. [8] Most foraging in the nest is done by the workers once the first ones reach adulthood. These workers forage for insects, nectar, and wood for nest construction in temperatures as low as 7 °C (45 °F). [8] The median wasp is known to be occasionally affected by the fungus Cordyceps sphecocephala and the Cricket paralysis virus. [9]

Contents

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The median wasp was first classified by Anders Jahan Retzius in 1783. [10] This wasp is part of the subfamily Vespinae which includes all hornets and yellowjackets. [3] It is part of the genus Dolichovespula , a genus whose species include the tree wasp ( D. sylvestris ), the Saxon wasp ( D. saxonica ), the bald-faced hornet ( D. maculata ), the Arctic yellowjacket ( D. norvegicoides ), and the parasitic hornet ( D. adulterina ).

Description and identification

D. media is a medium to large species of wasp around 16–22 millimetres (0.63–0.87 in) in length with yellow and black stripes on its abdomen. [11] It can be identified by its yellow clypeus with a thin black central line and large areas of yellow behind the eyes and on the ocular sinus. The median wasp also has a shiny black thorax with four yellow spots that are tinted orange or red. [10] Queens are often mistaken for hornets due to their reddish colouration, but can be distinguished by their thoracic spots and deep black color.

Distribution and habitat

The median wasp has a Palearctic distribution and is found throughout Europe and temperate regions of Asia all the way east to Japan. It prefers temperate climates and high humidity. [3] This species was identified in the United Kingdom for the first time in 1980 after having spread there from continental Europe. [7] It has also been sighted in New Zealand, but it is not known if the wasp is widespread in the area or if this was an isolated occurrence. [11]

D. media builds aerial paper nests 1 to 5 metres (3.3 to 16.4 ft) above ground. These nests are typically found in shrubs, trees, and sometimes under the eaves of buildings. [4] Nests are made of paper that comes from the digestion of wood and are generally 12–23 centimetres (4.7–9.1 in) wide and 10–30 centimetres (3.9–11.8 in) tall. [4] [12] Colonies are often found in both urban and rural areas. These wasps prefer to build nests close to the ground where humidity levels are higher as well as in open areas where the nest is subject to large amounts of sunlight. [13]

Colony cycle

The colony cycle of D. media is about 3.3 months and occurs between early May and the end of August. [3] The nests are initiated in early May when a single queen emerges from her overwintering hibernation site. [2] All queens in the same region tend to emerge from hibernation and initiate nests at about the same time and do not disperse over weeks or months as in some other species. [6]

Queen Dolichovespula media, middelste wesp.jpg
Queen

The queen rears about 10 workers by herself and it takes about 30 days for these workers to mature to adults from eggs. [8] The first workers emerge around early June and start small cell building, where males and workers will be reared, and begin foraging for the colony. The colony continues to grow and large cell construction begins in early July which is where the new queens and some males will be raised. A mature median wasp nest will have about 1000 total cells. Around 320 will be small cells, 680 large cells, with an average of 800 wasps reaching adulthood. The first queens will emerge in early August and disperse to find hibernation sites. The rest of the workers, the old queen, and the males will begin to die off with the colony terminating by the end of August. [3] However, workers are sometimes seen as late as early November. [2]

Nest structure

Nest Dolichovespula media Nest.jpg
Nest

The median wasp like many other species of wasps builds its nest out of pulp that comes from the digestion of wood. Their nests have been reported to be light yellow or light to dark grey in color depending on the material used to build the nest. These nests are about 10–30 centimetres (3.9–11.8 in) tall and 12–23 centimetres (4.7–9.1 in) wide with a 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) thick roof. Mature nests have 2-4 circular or oval shaped combs that are surrounded by a thick envelope. There are two types of elements connecting combs. One is a rigid column down the center of the nest and the other is thin ribbon like pieces between the combs. Both are made of pulp and help to give the nest support. The entrance hole is at the bottom of the nest and often has spiraled sheets of paper surrounding it. [12] The entrance of young nests sometimes consists of a long vestibule, or entry compartment, whose function is unknown. This long vestibule has only been observed in D. media and D. maculata species and tends to disappear as the nest matures. [14] It may function in thermoregulation or defense. This species lives in cooler temperate climates and nests in the open so thermoregulation is a plausible explanation, but so far no other vestibule of this length have been observed in species that live in similar climates. [6] A mature nest will house about 800 mature adults between May and October. Come October the males and workers being to die off and the queen hibernates until next spring when she will begin a new nest. [3]

Behaviour

Worker rasping wood fibers Dolichovespula media-pjt1.jpg
Worker rasping wood fibers

Foraging

In the median wasp foraging activities take place throughout the day and can be done in temperatures as low as 7 °C (45 °F). [8] The queen is responsible for all nest construction and foraging until after the first workers emerge from the nest as adults. This means the queen does all of the foraging for about 30 days before workers take over. [6] At the beginning she mainly focuses on collecting fiber for envelope construction, but as the colony begins to develop she allots more time for foraging for food including both flesh and liquid. Workers begin helping with larval feeding and nest development when just a few days old and take their orientation flight at about 5 days old. At this point they begin to take over food and material collection for the nest. These foraging trips can last between a few minutes to one hour, but most are less than 10 minutes in length. As D. media searches for prey it stops for a moment over each flower in contrast to other species such as V. flaviceps which quickly fly up and down each plant. They will fly up to a couple hundred meters to forage for food. [8]

Defence

This species of wasp is not particularly aggressive. [6] When a young nest is disturbed the foundress will first place her head at the entrance in an alert position. Then she flies quickly around the nest and may fall suddenly to the ground. This falling to the ground has only been observed in Dolichovespula species and its purpose is unclear. [6] [8] When small insects such as ants or spiders crawl on the nest the wasp responds by grabbing them in her mandibles and dropping to the ground. It is usually not necessary for her to try to keep these insects out of the nest as they are rarely seen to try and enter. [8] Once there are some workers in a young nest the queen and workers cooperate to defend it. [6]

Curling

Curling is one behaviour that is known only in the subfamily Vespinae and has been observed in nine species among three separate genera including the species D. media. Curling is an act of the queen where she curls her body around the pedicel of the nest when resting. The pedicel is the vertical part of the nest that gives it structure and what the combs are built around. [6] This behaviour is almost always preceded by the queen turning around the pedicel before starting to curl. The queen most often curls at the pedicel for several minutes at a time. [8] It is thought that this behaviour functions in brood incubation. This idea is supported by the evidence that the behaviour is present while there are only eggs and larvae in the nest but stops after many of the larvae have pupated. In addition, one study involving Vespa simillima showed that cell wall temperature rose by an average of 2.5–4.0 °C (36.5–39.2 °F) and remained constant during curling. The rise in temperature and timing of the behaviour suggest that it is important in incubation for the offspring while they are eggs and larvae. Heat for later eggs and larvae is believed to be generated by pupa and other larvae as the colony size increases. [6]

Gastral vibration and tapping

Another behaviour observed in D. media workers is gastral vibration. [6] This is observed in workers of many Dolichovespula and Vespula species. [8] Workers tap their gaster rapidly up and down onto the comb of the nest and this is associated with feeding of larvae. [6] The behaviour typically occurs while wasps are walking on the comb and ceases after feeding each larvae a small amount of flesh and then resumes before feeding the next larvae. [8] A behaviour that appears to be homologous to this is observed in the foundresses queen and is called tapping. Queens have been observed tapping mid or hind legs on the comb after returning with prey. These taps can last from a few seconds to a couple of minutes and are loud enough to be heard outside of the nest. This signal is believed to function in the same way as gastral vibration in workers and is to signal to the larvae when it is time to feed. [6] Sometimes this tapping or vibration occurs even when there is no pellet to feed the larvae and it is speculated that this corresponds to the feeding of liquids, but this has not been confirmed. Tapping continues in the queen even after she has ceased foraging when she feeding larvae pellets that she receives from the workers. This supports the idea that it is involved in signaling larvae during feeding. [8]

Genetic relatedness within colonies

Haplodiploidy

The median wasp, as in all other Hymenoptera species, produces females from fertilised diploid eggs, but males are produced from unfertilised haploid eggs. This means that although workers are unable to mate they can still produce male offspring. This type of sex determination is known as haplodiploidy. The result is that brothers have a relatedness of 0.5 as expected of full siblings, but sisters have a higher relatedness of 0.75. Sisters receive half of their mother's genes as well as all their father's genes because all of the sperm he produces are identical. Mothers have a relatedness of 0.5 to both their sons and daughters. [7]

Worker-worker relatedness

Most Dolichovespula species including D. media mate only once or fertilise most eggs with sperm from a single male. In addition, there are only 1-2 queens per colony. These specific characteristics result in a high level of worker-worker relatedness within the colony. One study estimated this relatedness to be as high as 0.71. This was determined by analysing 20 workers from each of 10 nests at 3 DNA microsatellite locuses. The DNA analysis allowed the researchers to determine if males were queen's or workers’ sons and from there calculate an estimated relatedness. There is evidence that workers in this species attempt to reproduce with about 4 reproducing workers per colony that sometimes lay eggs, however, only 7.4% of the male population are produced by the workers. It has been observed that the median wasp participates in worker policing where the queen or other workers throw worker laid eggs out of the nest or otherwise destroy them. All of this information helps to explain the high level of relatedness in the colony and that relatedness helps to explain the eusocial behaviour of these wasps. [7]

Worker-queen conflict

Conflict often develops between queens and workers of haplodiploid species because workers are more related to their sisters than their brothers or their parental queens. This results in them trying to push the sex ratio so that there are more females produced by the queen than males. At the same time, however, it is best for the queen to keep a 1:1 ratio of male and female offspring because she is equally related to both. D. media workers and queens have been observed policing worker laid eggs which helps to push the ratio more towards the females. This may help to keep worker-queen conflict from getting worse since workers do not produce many offspring in the nest. [7]

Parasites and pathogens

Ophiocordyceps sphecocephala is a type of fungus that is known to attack wasps including D. media. It produces red-yellow fruiting bodies on long white or yellow stalks. [9] It is not known if this fungus kills living wasps or if it simply attacks dead insects, but there is some evidence to suggest that overwintering queens can be infected. [6] Either way this fungus is not a major threat to a wasp colony. [13] A pathogen that has been found to infect the median wasp is the Cricket paralysis virus. This virus causes insects to become paralyzed and die with a nearly 100% mortality rate once infected. Once a nest is infected this virus could quickly destroy the entire colony, however, there is little data documenting how widespread this virus is among D. media. [9]

Human importance

Median wasps may be considered a pest by some because its nests are usually built in shrubs or on houses where they are easily disturbed. These nests are typically built out in the open and are often destroyed by people. Despite this the species is not very aggressive and tends to fly away instead of attack if disturbed. However, it may sting if it feels its nest is threatened. [15] The sting of the median wasp is comparable to many other wasp species and should be treated with a cold compress and an antihistamine to reduce swelling unless a more serious allergic reaction occurs. [11] D. media is attracted to sweet foods and as such may fly near food when people are eating. Median wasps are easily scared off and do not usually become aggressive. [15] This species is more likely to be seen as a pest when it invades a new area due to its impact on the environment. One example is a median wasp that has been spotted in New Zealand. If the wasp becomes widespread and feeds on native flies, moths, and nectar it will compete for resources with other species. Its large size may also cause alarm in new areas. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dolichovespula maculata</i> Species of wasp

Dolichovespula maculata is a species of wasp in the genus Dolichovespula and a member of the eusocial, cosmopolitan family Vespidae. It is known by many colloquial names, primarily bald-faced hornet, but also including bald-faced aerial yellowjacket, bald-faced wasp, bald hornet, white-faced hornet, blackjacket, white-tailed hornet, spruce wasp, and bull wasp. Technically a species of yellowjacket wasp, it is not one of the true hornets, which are in the genus Vespa. Colonies contain 400 to 700 workers, the largest recorded colony size in its genus, Dolichovespula. It builds a characteristic large hanging paper nest up to 58 cm (23 in) in length. Workers aggressively defend their nest by repeatedly stinging invaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European hornet</span> Species of wasp

The European hornet is the largest eusocial wasp native to Europe. It is also the only true hornet found in North America, having been introduced to the United States and Canada from Europe as early as 1840. Vespines, such as V. crabro, are known for making intricate paper-like nests out of surrounding plant materials and other fibers. Unlike most other vespines, reproductive suppression involves worker policing instead of queen pheromone control, as was previously thought.

<i>Vespula germanica</i> Species of wasp

Vespula germanica, the European wasp, German wasp, or German yellowjacket, is a species of wasp found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, native to Europe, Northern Africa, and temperate Asia. It has spread and become well-established in many other places, including North America, South America, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. German wasps are part of the family Vespidae and are sometimes mistakenly referred to as paper wasps because they build grey paper nests, although strictly speaking, paper wasps are part of the subfamily Polistinae. In North America, they are also known as yellowjackets.

<i>Dolichovespula</i> Genus of wasps

Dolichovespula is a small genus of social wasps distributed widely throughout the Northern Hemisphere. The yellow and black members of the genus are known by the common name yellowjackets in North America, such as Dolichovespula norwegica, along with members of their sister genus Vespula. In a study on the nesting biology of Dolichovespula, a colony of D. maculata with 771 workers was reported as having the largest recorded population count.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern yellowjacket</span> Species of insect

The eastern yellow jacket or eastern yellowjacket is a wasp found in eastern North America. Although most of their nests are subterranean, they are often considered a pest due to their nesting in recreational areas and buildings. This yellow jacket is a social insect, living in colonies of hundreds to thousands of individuals. Along with their subfamily, Vespinae, this species demonstrates supportive parental care for offspring, separation of reproductive and sterile castes, and overlapping generations. They aggressively defend their hives from threats and are known to inflict painful stings.

<i>Dolichovespula saxonica</i> Species of wasp

Dolichovespula saxonica, also known as the Saxon wasp, is a common social wasp found in the Palearctic region, specifically in large parts of Europe and in northern and central Asia. Although originally from continental Europe, D. saxonica has since colonised Britain, mainly in the south and east, but has been recorded as far north as East Lothian, Scotland. Most of their nests are above ground in trees and bushes, but they can also be found in buildings. Due to the proliferation of nests in urban areas and near residential homes, D. saxonica can be a pest for people. As a result, many human interventions are in place to remove Saxon nests. D. saxonica has been found to use chemical signaling in a lot of behaviours, such as alarm calls, fertility cues, and chemical trails.

<i>Dolichovespula norwegica</i> Species of wasp

The Norwegian wasp is a species of eusocial wasp. It is common in Scandinavia and can also be found in Scotland and other areas in Britain and Ireland. Often known for being a tree wasp, it nests in low branches and bushes and feeds on insects. It also obtains nectar from blueberry and snowberry flowers. Although D. norwegica is rarely considered a pest in the past, a few cases of pest problems relating to them have been reported. The species is not endangered.

<i>Dolichovespula sylvestris</i> Species of wasp

The tree wasp is a species of eusocial wasp in the family Vespidae, found in the temperate regions of Eurasia, particularly in western Europe. Despite being called the tree wasp, it builds both aerial and underground paper nests, and can be found in rural and urban habitats. D. sylvestris is a medium-sized wasp that has yellow and black stripes and a black dot in the center of its clypeus. It is most common to see this wasp between May and September during its 3.5 month colony cycle.

<i>Dolichovespula adulterina</i> Species of wasp

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.

<i>Vespula rufa</i> Species of wasp

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, parts of Asia, and northern parts of North America. 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.

<i>Vespula squamosa</i> Species of wasp

Vespula squamosa, or the southern yellowjacket, is a social wasp. This species can be identified by its distinctive black and yellow patterning and orange queen. This species is typically found in eastern North America, and its territory extends as far south as Central America. Within these territories, they create enormous, multiple-comb nests. The colonies may be either annual or perennial depending on the climate, and in many perennial nests, polygyny takes place. In addition, this species uses pheromones both as a sexual attractant and an alarm signal. This species feeds on insects and animal carcasses; it does not produce honey. V. squamosa, a social insect, has developed a parasitic relationship with the species V. vidua and V. maculifrons. Due to their painful, venomous stings, the species is considered a pest.

Apoica flavissima is a paper wasp found primarily in South America. The species is distinguishable by its light coloring, unique single comb nests, and nocturnal nature. A notable feature of this species is the size dimorphism between queens and workers. Unlike most Vespidae wasps, Apocia flavissima queens are smaller than their worker counterparts which results in unique intraspecies relationships.

<i>Dolichovespula arenaria</i> Species of wasp

Dolichovespula arenaria, also known as the common aerial yellowjacket, sandhills hornet, and common yellow hornet, is a species of wasp within the genus Dolichovespula widely distributed in the North American continent.

<i>Synoeca cyanea</i> Species of wasp

Synoeca cyanea, commonly known as the marimbondo-tatu in Brazil, is a swarm-founding eusocial wasp. Native to Brazil and Argentina, S. cyanea is one of the largest and most aggressive species of social wasps and is feared in many rural areas. It begins its colony cycle in the early spring and continues until nest abandonment. Throughout its life, S. cyanea forage sugary substances and animal carcasses for food and wood pulp for its nest. S. cyanea is also known for its strong venom, which is enough to cause haemolytic activity.

<i>Agelaia pallipes</i> Species of wasp

Agelaia pallipes is a species of social paper wasp found from Costa Rica to Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. A. pallipes is ground-nesting and is one of the most aggressive wasps in South America. This species is a predator of other insects, including flies, moths, and ground crickets, as well as baby birds.

<i>Belonogaster petiolata</i> Species of wasp

Belonogaster petiolata is a species of primitively eusocial wasp that dwells in southern Africa, in temperate or subhumid climate zones. This wasp species has a strong presence in South Africa and has also been seen in northern Johannesburg. Many colonies can be found in caves. The Sterkfontein Caves in South Africa, for example, contain large populations of B. petiolata.

<i>Vespula atropilosa</i> Species of wasp

Vespula atropilosa, also known as the prairie yellowjacket, is a black and yellow social wasp that forms annual colonies. Vespula atropilosa was formerly a member of the Vespa family. Males have either xanthic (yellow) or melanic (black) abdominal coloring. The prairie yellowjacket can be found in the Western and Midwestern United States as well as parts of southern Canada. It builds its nests underground and prefers large open areas such as pastures and golf courses. Vespula atropilosa colonies are founded by a queen in the spring and grow most during mid-summer. It preys on other insects such as flies and grasshoppers but is not a scavenger like other wasps. Queens mate with multiple males, and males will fight each other for matings. V. atropilosa is a social wasp that practices altruism. Prairie yellowjackets are not considered pests but are commonly found in backyards in the Pacific Northwest. This species derives its common name from the prairies and grasslands where it can be found.

Mischocyttarus drewseni, which is sometimes spelled "drewsenii", is a social wasp in the family Vespidae. It is commonly found in Neotropical regions of South America, including Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia and Paraguay. This mid-sized wasp is about 1.5-1.8 cm and is typically dark brown or black in color. This species makes their nests out of woody plant fibers and create single combed nests with hexagonal cells which are typically found in low lying grass habitats or semi-urban environments. The colony cycle for this species is initiated by the queen who starts building the nest cell by cell. The nest construction process is highly elaborate and involves foraging for materials, creating cells, and heightening cell walls. It feeds on arthropods, plant nectar, and honeydew, and the species is very protective of its brood when it comes to defending them from their predators. The life cycle of this species has several stages with varying lengths, including egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. As a social wasp species, there are several castes within the colony and different castes perform different specialized jobs with differing dominance and reproductive behaviors.

Protopolybia exigua is a species of vespid wasp found in South America and Southern Brazil. These neotropical wasps, of the tribe Epiponini, form large colonies with multiple queens per colony. P. exigua are small wasps that find nourishment from nectar and prey on arthropods. Their nests are disc-shaped and hang from the undersides of leaves and tree branches. This particular species of wasp can be hard to study because they frequently abandon their nests. P. exigua continuously seek refuge from phorid fly attacks and thus often flee infested nests to build new ones. The wasps' most common predators are ants and the parasitoid phorid flies from the Phoridae family.

<i>Vespula infernalis</i> Species of wasp

Vespula infernalis is an obligate parasitic wasp, parasitizing the nests of other species in the genus Vespula. Its common host species is V. acadica in North America. It is sometimes called the cuckoo yellowjacket wasp due to its inquiline lifestyle. They differ from other parasitic wasps in their intensely aggressive behaviour during invasion and occupation of the host colony. Several morphological adaptations such as bigger body parts and more curved sting shafts are observed in these wasps to aid their aggressive parasitic behaviour. Once they occupy a host's nest, V. infernalis are known to engage in mauling and chasing of host workers and forced trophallaxis. Female wasps will also force host workers to feed and take care of their brood.

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