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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 » Vespidae » Hornets and Yellowjackets (Vespinae) » Ground Yellowjackets (Vespula)

Genus Vespula - Ground Yellowjackets

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Life Cycle · Internet References · Works Cited
Yellow Jacket 7 - Vespula alascensis Vespula vidua nest extraction - Vespula vidua Blackjacket - Vespula consobrina? - Vespula consobrina Vespula squamosa German Yellowjacket: Overview of Nest - Vespula germanica black and yellow wasp - Vespula maculifrons Vespidae, dorsal - Vespula maculifrons Vespula alascensis (Alaska Yellowjacket)? - Vespula alascensis
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Vespoidea
Family Vespidae
Subfamily Vespinae (Hornets and Yellowjackets)
Genus Vespula (Ground Yellowjackets)
Explanation of Names
Vespula Thomson 1869
Numbers
13 spp. (incl. one exotic) in our area, 26 total(1)
Identification
Overview of genus
The oculo-malar space shorter than in Dolichoespula:
vs

Overview of species
Keys to species by Thomas (2005, unpublished)(2) and Buck et al. (2008).(1)

rufa-group
V. acadica

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. atropilosa
 
Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. consobrina

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. infernalis
[No image]
Queen (♀♀) Male (♂)

V. intermedia
 
Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. vidua

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

squamosa-group
V. squamosa

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. sulphurea
 
Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

vulgaris-group
V. alascensis

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. flavopilosa

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. germanica
 
Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. maculifrons

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)

V. pensylvanica

Queen (♀♀) Worker (♀) Male (♂)
Life Cycle
Nests are typically subterranean:
   
V. alascensis V. consobrina V. flavopilosa V. germanica

   
V. maculifrons V. pensylvanica V. squamosa
Internet References
Fact sheet (Grissell & Fasulo 2013)(3)
Works Cited
1.Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the Northeastern Nearctic Region
Matthias Buck, Stephen A. Marshall, and David K. B. Cheung. 2008. Biological Survey of Canada [Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification].
2.YELLOWJACKETS & HORNETS THROUGH A LENS
3.University of Florida: Featured Creatures
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by john and jane balaban, Beatriz Moisset, Tony-2, Matthias Buck, Ben Coulter, Nick Block, Vespula vulgaris, v belov, Kyhl Austin, PaleoJon
Last updated 20 October, 2024 - 11:24pm

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