Due to the proliferation of nests in urban areas and near residential homes, D. saxonica can be a pest for people.

Areas where the species can be commonly found include the United Kingdom (Southern only), the Czech Republic, northern France, the Netherlands and most recently the east of Ireland in 2020.

[6] Within these areas, the nests of D. saxonica can be found hanging freely in various forest types, the open countryside, and wooded hills.

[7] Since these wasps are aerial nesters, the nests are often hanging on tree branches or shrubs, a couple meters off the ground.

[1] Similar to other wasp species, colonies of D. saxonica build up during the summer time and decline during the winter.

Queens are the only ones capable of surviving the winter due to their form of hibernation called overwintering, which occurs within sheds, hollow trees, or other similar cavities.

By early June, the first set of workers emerges, begins to expand the nest, and builds large-cells for potential gynes.

This entire cycle is roughly 3 to 4 months long, though the exact timing of events is heavily dependent on weather.

[1] When foragers leave the nest in search for food, individuals do not fly in an artificial tunnel system to orient themselves like other wasp species.

[9] Due to the potential dangers of temperature regulation, it becomes advantageous for colonies to locate their nests in urban areas, where the climate is warmer and they are sheltered from the weather.

[10] For D. saxonica, the alarm behaviour is believed to ensue in response to sprayed venom or when a wasp stings.

[10] This type of alarm is seen in other vespines and acts to bring workers together to increase aggressive and fighting behaviours.

[10] This is advantageous to the colony because it allows workers to prevent harm to the nest by attacking a predator collectively.

[11] The queen's signal is a chemical cue from pheromones that is believed to decrease as the colony matures, thus allowing more workers to reproduce.

[11] In addition, the fertility of all D. saxonica individuals – workers, males, and queens – can be determined by their cuticular hydrocarbon cues.

[1] In the case of D. saxonica, the D. adulterina queen usually usurps the nest around the time that the host's first set of workers emerge in early June.

[1] There might also be fewer offspring because the parasitic queen will often die shortly after laying her eggs in July or earlier if she is injured during conflicts with the host's workers.

The degree of destruction to D. saxonica nests has been seen as moderate, relative to other parasitic species and is dependent on timing.

This single opening serves as the entrance, exit, and waste removal site for the Saxon wasps.

[1] As a result, when waste and debris leave the nest, they simply fall out of the opening and onto the floor, where it collects.

[3] This waste collection site provides many resources, and unsurprisingly, many pathogens are found here, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella oxytoca.

[13] Although these pathogens and fungi utilize the wasp's detritus, it becomes a problem for people as they can lead to infection, respiratory disease, and allergies.

[3] The Saxon wasp nests are found to have less bacteria and fungi when located in natural places as opposed to urban ones.

Perhaps more importantly, insects like the Saxon wasp can transport and recycle organic and inorganic matter, such as cadmium, iron, lead, and zinc.

If an individual senses danger, it can emit an alarm pheromone to its colony, which attracts others and stimulates aggressiveness and flight behaviour.

Some examples of the potential pathogens include Escherichia coli, which is the pathogen most noted in improperly prepared food; Klebsiella oxytoca, which can cause urinary tract infections; Aspergillus niger, which creates aflatoxins that can lead to respiratory disease and candidiasis; and Candida krusei, which can cause allergies.

Many urban nesting sites are sheltered, resulting in warmer conditions that lack vulnerability to rain and wind.