Median Wasp Dolichovespula media

The Median Wasp is the largest wasp in the UK after the Hornet. It is a variable European wasp which colonised the UK only in the 198s. The patterns and colours of their abdomens vary considerably. There is usually some reddish colouring in the yellow bar on the thorax and/or on the first segment of the abdomen. The front of the antenna base is yellow.

Median Wasps, like other "paper wasps," chew wood to a pulp and compress it to form their intricate, layered nest. Nests are usually suspended in bushes or trees. The one above was in brambles at RSPB Rye Meads Nature Reserve.