Yellow Jackets – Vespula spp.

Yellow Jackets   Genus: Vespula Common Name: Yellow jackets Appearance: Yellow jackets are 12-19 mm long bee-sized wasp. Workers are usually smaller than the queen and also have a little different pattern on the abdomen as compared to the queen. They have alternate yellow and black stripes on the abdomen with black spots depending upon the species. They are often confused with bees. But they lack dense hairs on their body. Their nest is always covered by a paper-type envelope built by the wasps. Host Plants or Food: Yellow jackets are a general feeder. Mostly feed on caterpillars, flies, bee larvae, nectar, and honeydew. Territory: Throughout North America Mode of Damage: They are beneficial garden insects because they feed on many garden pests that damage the plants. Habits and Life History: Yellow jackets have their nest both aerial and underground. They build their nest in trees, bushes, roofs, cavities, and other protected areas. Their nest has globular shape and has a paper like outer covering with small hexagonal chambers inside. It has only one opening on the bottom side. Like ants and other wasps, yellow jackets are also eusocial. They have colonies containing queens, male drones, and female workers. Like other wasps, yellow jackets also undergo complete metamorphosis. The eggs hatch into larvae, the larvae undergo pupal stages, and pupae develop into adult yellow jackets. The adult queens, after mating in early fall, seek shelter and hibernate during the whole winter. In the spring the queens come out and start building the nests and lay the eggs. The eggs fertilized by females develop into females, while unfertilized eggs develop into males. The first batch of the eggs develops into female workers who aid the queen in building and extending the nest. These workers also bring food to the nest. As the winter starts approaching, the queen lays new eggs, which develops into males and new queens. The queens go out, mate, and then hibernate during the entire winter. The males die after mating. The old queens and unfertilized females also die due to cold, and the cycle continues.