yellow jacket

Yellowjackets are black-and-yellow wasps of the genus Vespula or Dolichovespula (some can be black-and-white, the most notable of these being the bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata). They can be identified by their distinctive combination of black-and-yellow color, small size (slightly larger than a bee), and entirely black antennae.

Lifecycle

Like some other vespids, they live in colonies and build globular paper nests. Workers are around 12-20 mm in length, depending on species, and feed on nectar, while collecting other foods (primarily arthropods) for their larvae. They can sting repeatedly and without apparent provocation, and so can be major pests^{citation needed]}. They will sting in order to defend their nest^{citation needed]}. In autumn, they switch from collecting arthropods and nectar to scavenging other food sources, which can increase their contact with people.^{citation needed]}

Notable Species

European yellowjackets (the German wasp, Vespula germanica and the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris) were originally native to Europe, but are now established in North America, southern Africa, New Zealand, and eastern Australia.

Bald-faced hornets, Dolichovespula maculata, belongs among the yellowjackets rather than the true hornets, but is not usually considered one because of its ivory-on-black coloration.

Nest

• Dolichovespula species (for example the aerial yellowjacket Dolichovespula arenaria and the bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata) tend to create exposed aerial nests (a feature shared with true hornets, which has led to some confusion as to the use of the name "hornet").
• Vespula species, in contrast, build concealed nests, usually underground.

Yellowjacket nests usually last for only one season, dying off in winter. The nest is started by a single queen, called the foundress, and typically can reach the size of a basketball by the end of the season^{citation needed]}. In parts of Australia , New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and southwestern coastal areas of the United States, the winters are mild enough to allow nest overwintering. Nests that survive multiple seasons become massive and often possess multiple egg-laying queens[1].

See also

• German wasp, Vespula germanica
• Common wasp, Vespula vulgaris
• biocontrol
• Volucella pellucens
• Schmidt Sting Pain Index