for A U G U S T Yellow-jacket wasp PROPER NAME: Order Hymenoptera, Family Vespidae, Dolichovespula and Vespula spp. WHEN MOST PREVALENT: Late summer and early fall. SIZE RANGE: Workers are 10-14 mm in length; queens are much larger. [View magnified Insect] WARNINGS: Yellowjacket wasps can sting humans, primarily as a defense. Unlike honeybees, which die after stinging, wasps can sting multiple times. Reaction to a wasp sting varies from mild to severe, depending upon an individual's sensitivity to the wasp venom. Application of a cold compress may help to relieve the burning sensation associated with a sting. Antihistamines can also help to reduce the severity of the symptoms, which may include burning, pain, swelling, or itching. If the reaction to a sting is immediate and severe, medical attention should be sought at once. If a person is known to be sensitized to wasp stings, they should consider desensitization procedures (consult your doctor), and should consider carrying an insect sting kit (availabe from your pharmacy with a doctor's prescription) with them at all times. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Throughout North America. SOUNDS: Buzzing. Yellowjacket wasps live in paper nests which they build themselves using a mixture of plant material and saliva. These nest may be either aerial or subterranean. A new nest is initiated each spring by a fertilized queen and contains only a dozen or so wasps to begin with. As the colony grows in size, the workers take over construction of the nest from the queen. A mature nest may contain 2,000-6,000 cells (larvae mature within these) and 1,000-4,000 workers. A fertilized queen is the only member of a wasp colony to overwinter. In the spring, she searches for a site to build a new nest, constructs 20-45 cells, and lays an egg in each one. The first workers emerge a month later and take over the duties of nest construction, care of the young, foraging, and sanitation. At this point, the queen no longer leaves the nest, and becomes primarily an egg-laying machine. The colony reaches its peak numbers in late summer and early fall. When the outside temperature starts to drop, the queen will leave the nest and find a warm, protected place to overwinter, usually under a rotten log. All other members of the colony die over the winter, and only the queen is left to begin the process again the following April or May. Unlike honeybees, which are strictly vegetarian, wasps eat both animal and plant material. Early in the summer they are in need of protein, and so search out other insects and scavenged materials to eat and feed the developing larvae, but later in the season they prefer sweet foods such as aphid honeydew or rotting fruit. Wasp traps (available at your local garden store) can therefore be baited according to wasps' seasonal preferences. Because of their life cycle, wasps will never reuse a nest from one season to the next. So, if you find a nest in or around your home, and its location is not making the wasps a particular nuisance, you are best just leaving it alone until winter comes. After the queen has left and the workers have died off, the nest can be safely and easily removed. Remember that wasps usually only sting when provoked, and having wasps around your home and garden can actually be an excellent way to naturally control pests. A single wasp can remove as many as 225 insects an hour from your home or garden! FAMILY RELATIONS a) Order Hymenoptera, Family Vespidae, Vespa crabo - hornets. b) Close cousins: Order Hymenoptera, Family Apidae, Apis mellifera - honeybees. [TO TOP] [HOME]