Numbers
300 North American species in 35 genera.
Identification
Legs of normal length, not as long as those of the
Pompilidae.
Wings folded longitudinally at rest; first discoidal cell of FW greater than half the wing length (longer than pompilids).
Inner margin of
eye usually notched.
Pronotum extending back to the
tegulae, the pronotum thus appearing triangular when viewed from the side and horseshoe-shaped when viewed from above.
(Good description of family characteristics in discussion
here.)
Life Cycle
Nests are usually stocked with
caterpillars.
Remarks
Seven subfamilies: Vespinae, Polistinae and Polybiinae are social, the remainder subfamilies are solitary.
The social vespids can be distinguished from the nonsocial forms by the presence of a cutting or chewing surface near the apex of the mandible rather than along the inner margin.
Internet References
Vespidae of California, with a key to Vespidae and distribution maps of species.
