The typical length of an individual of this species is 11– 18 mm long. Compared to D. maculata, whose adults range from 2–3 cm, queens are generally around 1.7 cm and workers are smaller, around 1.3 cm Ings, Tom. "British Social Wasps" , BWARS (Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society), Retrieved on 24 September 2014. p. 3
