John Burgess asked"

> From over the pond I had always assumed that yellow jacket was just an
> American name for wasp. Would someone care to put me right?
>
> John Burgess

     Much confusion arises out of the use of common names for species.
The terms "wasp" and "hornet" might be used for wasp species in the
same genus — or for species in other wasp genera.

    The "yellow jacket wasp" designation usually refers only to "Vespula
pensylvanica," a mostly ground nesting wasp found throughout the U.S.
(No, I didn't error in the species name spelling.)

    In the spring in our area yellow jacket wasp queens most often set
up "housekeeping" in disused pocket gopher burrows.  As the season
progresses, the colony makes an ever-expanding paper nest underground
in a form much the same as paper nests made by other wasp species and
suspended in trees.  By fall, a colony can have several thousand
individuals.  In our mild climate, some colonies even survive the
winter and start out strong in the spring.

    When people say "yellow jackets," they usually refer to this
species, one that causes such problems at picnic tables and in bee
yards.   Unfortunately, some citizens erroneously call them "meat
bees."

    Hope this helps.

                                                                                        Adrian



Adrian M. Wenner                (805) 963-8508 (home office phone)
967 Garcia Road                 [log in to unmask]
Santa Barbara, CA  93103        www.beesource.com/pov/wenner/index.htm

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