Aerial Yellowjacket: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Dolichovespula Arenaria Appearance: Yellowjackets are found across the United States in three different sorts or genera.

• Dolichovespula, a genus of aerial nesters
• Vespula, the genus of ground nesters
• Vespa, the genus of hornets

The separation between airborne and ground nesting yellowjackets is not complete. Aerial nesters will occasionally construct ground nests. Ground nesters will occasionally construct aerial nests. With a few exceptions, aerial nesters are mostly northern species. Perhaps this is due to the fact that northern grounds are too cold for nesting most of the year. Adults range in length from 58 to 34 inches and are black with striking yellow patterns. The body is thick and a little broader than the head. Long erect hairs cover the head and thorax abundantly. The stomach is less hairy. Hosts Plants: Fruit Trees Territory: The common aerial yellowjacket may be found in both Canada and the United States. It may be found from northcentral Alaska to New Mexico and Arizona. D. arenaria is one of the most prevalent aerial yellowjackets in eastern North America, with nests ranging from arboreal to subterranean. Damage Insect Cause: Regardless of their nesting patterns, all yellowjackets are dangerous because, being social insects, they dwell in huge numbers and may sting several times without losing their stinger when the nest has to be defended. In most cases, the stings are uncomfortable, and in other cases, they can be fatal. Yellow jackets seldom cause structural damage to homes. They may, however, construct and defend nests in attics or walls. On occasion, the bugs gnaw through drywall to gain access to residential areas. Yellow jackets will defend themselves if they are disturbed while feeding or protecting their hives. Life History and Habits: Only the queen lives and overwinters in colder areas to restart the nesting process. Nest building may be a year-round enterprise in warmer climes. According to recent media accounts, enormous nests capable of housing hundreds of thousands of yellowjackets have been discovered in various locations of the Southeast. A short inspection of the house and yard reveals that aerial nests can be built in trees, walls, utility poles, or house eaves. Ground nesters do not dig out sites for their nests. Rather, they start with any existing hole, even abandoned rodent tunnels. When they venture above ground, they like to hide in tree cavities.   Aerial Yellow Jacket Scientific Name: Dolichovespula arenaria Common Name: Aerial yellow jacket, Common yellow hornet, Sandhill yellow jacket, Sandhill aerial yellow jacket, Common yellow hornet. Appearance: Aerial yellow jackets are 15 to 19 mm long wasps having long slender body wider than the head. The head and thorax have a lot of hair, while the abdomen is less hairy. The face is yellow with a black spot in the middle. The legs are also yellow. The males have 13 segmented antennae, while the females have 12 segmented antennae. The antennae are black from above and yellow from below. The abdomen has regular yellow and black stripes. Males and females have 6 and 7 segments in the abdomens, respectively. Host Plants or Food: Generally large-bodied insects, including caterpillars, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, lacewings, spiders, and even lady beetles. Territory: Throughout North America, Mode of Damage: Aerial yellow jacket does not damage the plant and preys on plant pests; therefore considered beneficial garden insects. Habits and Life History: Aerial yellowjackets build their nest in trees, bushes, roofs, 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, aerial yellow jackets are also eusocial. They have colonies containing queens, male drones, and female workers. Like other wasps, aerial yellowjackets 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, which 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.