Identification
Adult workers of the common wasp measure about 12–17 mm (0.5–0.7 in) from head to abdomen, whereas the queen is about 20 mm (0.8 in) long. It has aposematic colours of black and yellow and is very similar to the German wasp (or European wasp, Vespula germanica) but seen head on, its face lacks the three black dots characteristic of that species. Additionally, it can be distinguished by a lack of black dots on its back (gastral terga), which are located further up and form part of the black rings on each of the abdomen's six segments. Furthermore, the genal area – the part of the head to which the jaws of an insect are attached – is usually broken by black (although sometimes narrowly).
Common wasps are colloquially known as "jaspers" in certain regions of England (such as Dorset and Lincolnshire, and more commonly the English Midlands), although it is not clear whether the etymology refers to the Latin name "vespa" or the striped abdomen, which echoes the striped mineral jasper.
Read more about this topic: Vespula Vulgaris