German Wasp vs Western yellowjacket

Vespula germanica compared with Vespula pensylvanica

Key Differences

• German Wasp is Least Concern while Western yellowjacket is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	German Wasp	Western yellowjacket
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)	Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees & Wasps)
Family same	Vespidae	Vespidae
Genus same	Vespula	Vespula
Species	Vespula germanica	Vespula pensylvanica

Evolutionary Relationship

German Wasp and Western yellowjacket share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Vespula.

Conservation Status

German Wasp

LC — Least Concern

Western yellowjacket

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	German Wasp	Western yellowjacket
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

German Wasp

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile).

Western yellowjacket

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Sweden and United States.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States