Vespinae, Vespidae, Hymenoptera, Insecta, Arthropoda, Animalia
Matthew P. Kweskin
2 Feb 1997
Common Name- The common yellowjacket
Identification- V. vulgaris is black and yellow. The antennal scape is all black, as opposed to black with yellow. The genal area is usually broken by black (although sometimes narrowly). The gastral terga are usually without free black spots.
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Geography- V. vulgaris is holarctic and is found transcontinental in the boreal regions of North America.
Natural History (Akre et al., 1980)- V. vulgaris tend to be found in heavily forested areas. The nests in Western North America typically are underground or in rotten logs. They are known to have aerial nests. The nests can be large, up to 17,000 cells. This species captures live prey as well as scavenging. As with V. pensylvanica, there are occasional outbreaks of high populations of this species in the Northwest U.S.
Page author: Matthew P. Kweskin kweskm@evergreen.edu
Last modified: 2 Feb 1997