The queen wasp is the reproductive female responsible for establishing a new colony each spring. Her primary role is to lay eggs, creating the entire population of worker wasps for the season. Identifying a queen often begins with her size, as she is typically the largest member of her species. However, her exact dimensions are not uniform and vary significantly depending on the species.
The Size Contrast: Queen Versus Worker Wasp
The size difference between a queen and a worker wasp results from their specialized roles. The queen must be physically capable of laying thousands of eggs, requiring a larger body size to accommodate her developed ovaries. She is also the only colony member to survive the winter, necessitating significant fat reserves that add to her overall bulk.
Queen wasps are noticeably more robust than their worker counterparts. A queen is generally 25% to 50% larger than the workers of the same species. For example, a typical worker wasp measures around 12 millimeters, while the queen of that species measures closer to 19 millimeters. This size difference is particularly apparent in the spring when the newly emerged queen is seen alone.
Key Dimensions of Common Queen Wasp Species
Common queen wasps, such as Vespula species (yellowjackets), show a substantial size difference from workers. A typical queen yellowjacket is around 19 millimeters in length, clearly distinct from smaller workers, which usually measure about 12 millimeters.
For larger species, the queen’s size is more impressive. The European hornet (Vespa crabro) queen can reach up to 35 millimeters long. While European hornet workers are also large, averaging about 25 millimeters, the queen remains significantly longer and heavier.
The size distinction is less pronounced in paper wasps (Polistes species). Paper wasp queens measure between 19 and 25 millimeters. Their workers can be between 14 and 19 millimeters, meaning there is considerable overlap in size ranges. In these cases, relying on size alone to distinguish the queen is unreliable.
Beyond Size: Characteristics That Identify a Queen
Relying solely on size to identify a queen can be misleading due to natural variation. A more reliable visual indicator is the queen’s abdomen, which appears fuller and more distended than a worker’s. This fullness is a direct consequence of her developed reproductive organs and the need to carry eggs.
The queen’s body appears more elongated and robust overall, giving her a heavy look compared to the slender workers. When she emerges from hibernation in the spring, her wings are often in pristine condition, showing no wear from foraging. Worker wings, conversely, become frayed and damaged by late summer.
Behavior and timing are strong non-physical clues for identification. In early spring, any social wasp seen foraging alone and actively searching for a protected void is almost certainly a queen. Once the first generation of workers emerges, the queen remains inside the nest for the rest of the season, focusing solely on egg-laying. Therefore, a large wasp observed in isolation early in the year is the foundress of a new colony.