Yellowjacket or Yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of these are black and yellow like the eastern yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons and the aerial yellowjacket Dolichovespula arenaria; some are black and white like the bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata. Others may have the abdomen background colour red instead of black.
They can be identified by their distinctive markings, their occurrence only in colonies, and a characteristic, rapid, side-to-side flight pattern prior to landing. All females are capable of stinging. Yellowjackets are important predators of pest insects.
This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.
Hello, they are painful stings, these wasp scare me. Thank you for linking up and sharing the post. Take care! Enjoy your day, wishing you a great weekend! PS, thank for leaving me a comment on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought of Yellow Jackets as a pest insect. The less contact I have with them the better.
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