European Paper Wasp Polistes dominula

This common wasp species punches above its weight because it's a generalist eater rather than a picky specialist. While most paper wasps focus almost exclusively on hunting caterpillars, this species will happily take insects from many different families, which gives it a huge survival advantage when preferred prey gets scarce. That dietary flexibility is the secret to understanding why this species has become one of the most widespread and successful paper wasps across Europe and beyond.