Queen Wasp

I think this is our Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris, but there are a few species of Vespinae in the UK which are similar to each other but can be distinguished mainly by their facial and abdominal markings.

All have over-wintering queens which emerge in Spring and build their nests from wood pulp they make by chewing wood and mixing it with saliva. The queen lays her eggs in combs of hexagonal cells and feeds her larvae on macerated insects and spiders.

Not my favourite insect, but they are highly social wasps and the queens seem to be able to survive our hardest winters, unless frosts are very late. Today was very warm and sunny and this is the first queen wasp I have noticed so far this year.