Overwintering colonies of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) in Palmerston North, New Zealand

Three overwintered colonies of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) were collected in Palmerston North, New Zealand, during December 1993 and January 1994. Nest size ranged from 12-14 combs and 14 930-24 321 cells, making them larger than annual colonies at that time of year. Although one of the colonies was producing drones, none of the nests contained any queen cells, indicating that all were behaving more as asynchronous annual colonies rather than as true perennial ones. Overwintering by common wasps has been reported previously in beech forests containing honeydew near Nelson, but not in urban areas of Nelson or Christchurch. Honeydew is not available in urban Palmerston North and so cannot be a requirement for overwintering by V. vulgaris. The severity of winters in Christchurch may explain the rarity of overwintering common wasps, and, if so, suggests that this phenomenon may be more frequent in northern parts of New Zealand.