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Photo#33808
 QUEEN - Vespula consobrina - female

QUEEN - Vespula consobrina - Female
Jim Thorpe, PA 18229, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, USA
September 17, 2005
This was about 1/3 larger than the normal Bald-faced Hornets I was seeing. and the markings were different too.

Moved to Guide page
Originally ID'd as Baldfaced Hornet; I renamed it after it was correctly identified.

ready to hibernate - Vespula consobrina queen
A very good example showing how young fall queens are filled with fat bodies in their gaster, before overwintering. That's one reason why they look so big. The same can be said about the specimen of Vespula vidua you submitted some days ago.
An interesting proof, too, that colonies of the Blackjacket (a rather boreal species) do occur as far South as Pennsylvania (this one female can't come from far away, because dispersal takes place, if ever, after overwintering).

 
I was looking at all the Blac
I was looking at all the Black & White Hornets and noticed slight differences in markings-so some maybe different species-ah ha!! Plus there some very small Black and White ones and some normal sized and some very large ones.

I also noted about 5 different sizes in "yellow jackets" from very small to very large to very long.

I'll see if I can collect-and cool down a few to put on one photo-they don't stay cool very long-but long enough.

Thanks-now I know what to look for.

Jo

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