| Paravespula | |
|---|---|
| German wasp | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Suborder: | Apocrita |
| Family: | Vespidae |
| Genus: | Vespula |
| Subgenus: |
Paravespula Blüthgen, 1938 |
Paravespula is a small subgenus of yellowjacket wasps, including some of the best-known wasp species in the world: the German wasp, Vespula germanica; the eastern yellowjacket Vespula maculifrons; the western yellowjacket Vespula pensylvanica; and the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris;. It is occasionally treated as a separate genus, but this is not widely accepted.
These particular wasps have a tendency to make underground nests with the opening usually showing from a crack in a wall or an opening in a small grass hill, which makes it quite difficult to locate to get the colony removed. The wasps are aggressive and usually attack if their nests are threatened.