What kind of yellow jacket? - Vespula pensylvanica - BugGuide.Net

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Hornets, Yellowjackets; Paper, Potter, Mason, and Pollen Wasps; and Allies (Vespidae) » Hornets and Yellowjackets (Vespinae) » Ground Yellowjackets (Vespula) » Western Yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica)

Photo#115480

Copyright © 2007 Iris Inom

What kind of yellow jacket? - Vespula pensylvanica

Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, USA
June 4, 2007

What kind of yellow jacket is this? What are the distinguishing features? Sorry about the quality of the photos.

This yellow jacket must have been in my gloves and was quite surprised and angry to find a finger competing for the same space. I was equally surprised to be stung by my "glove" After tending to my wound, I found the yellow jacket wandering around the patio in a bit of a daze. Is this normal post-sting?

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What kind of yellow jacket? - Vespula pensylvanica

What kind of yellow jacket? - Vespula pensylvanica

What kind of yellow jacket? - Vespula pensylvanica

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Contributed by Iris Inom on 5 June, 2007 - 12:15am
Last updated 6 June, 2007 - 5:28pm

Queen western yellowjacket.

This is a queen (reproductive female) of the western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica. Probably the most common species in the western U.S.

… Eric R. Eaton, 5 June, 2007 - 2:13pm

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Welcome to Bug Guide

Ouch! I don't know much about yellowjackets, except they scared the bejeebers out of me when I was a kid. However, I know this site pretty well and, while you're waiting for an expert ID and info, check this heavy-duty forum listing:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/35661

… Ron Hemberger, 5 June, 2007 - 11:14am

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Thanks

Thanks to both of you, to Eric for the ID and to Ron for linking me to the info to try to ID it myself next time. I do have a quibble, V. pensylvanica as the 'western' yellowjacket??? There seems to be a geography issue here. But I bet you bug folks are operating under the same strict rules of nomenclature as us plant people.

… Iris Inom, 6 June, 2007 - 11:02pm

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Many ancient names...

were in fact quite inaccurate due to labeling errors. So this - truly Western - species got the name "penslyvanica", while the Eastern limit of its range hardly reaches Minnesota... Unfortunately, the (strict) priority rule forbids any change.

… Richard Vernier, 9 June, 2007 - 8:17am

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