German Yellowjacket vs Dark Western Drywood Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute German Yellowjacket Dark Western Drywood Termite
Scientific Name Vespula germanica Incisitermes fruticavus
Order Hymenoptera Blattodea
Family Vespidae Kalotermitidae
Size 12-16 mm Workers 5-7 mm, soldiers 6-8 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fruit Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions Europe, North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa Southwestern United States, Sonoran Desert
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

German Yellowjacket

A highly adaptable social wasp that has become one of the most widespread invasive insects globally. They build large enclosed paper nests in wall cavities and roof spaces.

💡

Did You Know?

Indoor nests in heated buildings can survive winter and grow to enormous sizes containing over a million cells.

Dark Western Drywood Termite

A drywood termite found in arid regions of the southwestern United States. It infests dead wood in desert trees and shrubs.

💡

Did You Know?

It commonly infests dead wood of palo verde trees and mesquite in the Sonoran Desert.