European paper wasp: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the European paper wasp lives – recorded in 20 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Polistes dominula
Group	Bees, wasps & ants
Found in	20 countries
Continents	Europe, North America, Oceania
Class	Insect
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Vespidae

Where does the European paper wasp live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the European paper wasp in 20 countries and territories across Europe, North America and Oceania. Wikidata gives its range as: India.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the European paper wasp?

The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) is an insect in the order Hymenoptera and the family Vespidae, genus Polistes. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the European paper wasp

The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) is one of the most common and well-known species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. Its diet is more diverse than those of most Polistes species—many genera of insects versus mainly caterpillars in other Polistes—giving it superior survivability compared to other wasp species during a shortage of resources.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article European paper wasp (revision 1379581532), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q221487 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).