Vespula germanica (
European wasp,
German wasp, or
German yellowjacket) is a species of
wasp found in much of the Northern Hemisphere, native to Europe, Northern Africa, and temperate Asia. It has been introduced and is well-established in many other places, including North America, South America (
Argentina and
Chile),
Australia, and
New Zealand. German wasps are part of the family
Vespidae and are sometimes mistakenly referred to as
paper wasps because they build grey paper nests, although strictly speaking, paper wasps are part of the subfamily
Polistinae. In North America, they are also known as
yellowjackets.