Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Ants, Stinging Wasps, and Hornets (Vespoidea) » Yellowjackets, Paper Wasps, and Hornets; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps (Vespidae) » Hornets and Yellowjackets (Vespinae) » Vespula » Southern Yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa)
Photo#11081
Southern Yellow Jacket - Vespula squamosa - female
Copyright © 2004 Lynette Schimming

Southern Yellow Jacket - Vespula squamosa - Female
Fort Bragg, Cumberland County, North Carolina, USA
April 24, 2004
Just like photo so I assume this is also a queen.
Contributed by Lynette Schimming on 10 February, 2005 - 11:48am
Last updated 8 December, 2007 - 1:51pm

Yes.
Both images are of queens. This species is a facultative social parasite on Vespula maculifrons. That means that colonies of the southern yellow jacket (V. squamosa) can either be free-living, or a queen can simply take over a young V. maculifrons nest by killing the resident queen and forcing the workers to raise her offspring instead.
… Eric R. Eaton, 10 February, 2005 - 1:37pm

 
Moved to Guide
Thanks, Lynette & Eric.
… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 11 February, 2005 - 7:03am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2010 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.