Eastern yellowjacket
Eastern yellowjacket | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Vespidae |
Genus: | Vespula |
Species: | V. maculifrons
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Binomial name | |
Vespula maculifrons (Buysson, 1905)
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Synonyms | |
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The eastern yellow jacket or eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) is a
Taxonomy and phylogenetics
V. maculifrons is within the family Vespidae, which is commonly found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. V. maculifrons is part of the subfamily Vespinae, and these species are part of the yellowjackets.[5] For example, V. maculifrons is commonly called the eastern yellowjacket and has the black and yellow color that distinguishes the yellowjackets.[3] The specific name maculifrons is derived from the Latin word macula, which means spot, and frons, which means forehead. This refers to the spots on the head of species, which is another distinguishing characteristic. Like other Vespula species, V. maculifrons is a social wasp. As a result, the species participates in cooperative brood care and division between reproductive and nonreproductive groups.[5]
Description and identification
V. maculifrons can be differentiated from other wasp species due to its smaller size and abdominal pattern.
Distribution and habitat
V. maculifrons is commonly found throughout eastern North America to the Great Plains. In most of the areas where it is found, V. maculifrons is the most common yellowjacket species. In the spring, the queen selects the spot where the colony will be located. Their subterranean nests are not deep, mostly covered by less than 50 mm (2 in) of soil.[2] However, nests have been found from just under the surface to 250 mm (9.8 in) deep.[2] These nests are found in hardwood forests and creek banks, but also in urban and suburban areas.[5] Within these areas, nests are typically built in sheltered places, which can include underground areas, tree stumps, and attics.[2] Their nests are so frequently found in recreational and residential areas, they are seen as a pest problem.
The queen begins the initial structure of the nest. By chewing wood and adding in
Venom chemistry
Colony cycle
A colony consists of three types of individuals in a social group: queens, workers, and males. New colonies are founded annually during the spring. This is determined by location, but will occur around May or June in the northern regions and around September in southern regions.[7] Due to the seasonal differences, the northern cycle is typically shorter than in the south, resulting in smaller nest sizes.[5] A queen, which mated earlier in the year and spent the winter in diapause, founds a colony by raising the first group of workers.[12] Until the first offspring emerge as adults, the lone queen lays eggs, forages for food, cares for the young, and defends the nest.[13] These workers maintain and expand the nest when they mature, while the queen continues to produce more offspring.[12] The workers' job is to build 850 to 9700 cells, of which about 30% are dedicated to queen cells. When these queen cells begin to be constructed, the nest is said to have matured. In the north, colonies peak around August or September, while southern colonies tend to peak around October to November.[2] When winter comes, the colony dies and only some of the queens survive to begin a new colony the next nesting cycle.
Behavior
Communication
For V. maculifrons workers to communicate with others in the nest about a potential predator, they have an alarm
Mating behavior
Male/male interactions
Males of V. maculifrons tend to form loose aggregations, resembling leks, during mating.[15] In one area, hundreds to thousands of males patrol prominent trees and bushes by constantly flying around them. Males typically patrol large areas randomly, rather than limiting to a few trees. If a male sees a female while patrolling, he flies closer to the female in a zigzag fashion and stops on a nearby leaf. This then allows the male to climb onto the female's gaster from behind. Other males do not try to approach an ongoing copulation, but a male might try to copulate immediately after. If a second mating occurs, sperm competition may favor the second male. As a result, males can prevent competition from another male by elongating copulation.[15]
Female/male interactions
A queen is capable of mating starting 48 hours after emerging from the pupal stage. To find a male, queens fly to trees and bushes where males form aggregations. Males frequently groom their legs, antennae, and gasters throughout
Kin selection
As a social species, V. maculifrons colonies depend on collaboration. However, polyandry tends to create subfamilies with lower relatedness, which can lead to conflict within the colony. Yet, V. maculifrons queens, and many other species’ queens, mate multiply. This occurrence is explained because potential conflict between subfamilies is offset by the reproductive success of queens; the mate number of queens is correlated to the number of queen cells a colony creates. This phenomenon may occur due to higher genetic diversity, which could lead to genetically varying workers that are more efficient at their jobs.[12]
Kin recognition and discrimination
As seen in many social insects,
Worker queen conflict
When queen cell construction begins in late August to early September, it is in the male's best interest to mate with a queen and produce a gyne.[2] Similar wasp species illustrate workers that help their own kin or harm nonrelatives from growing as a gyne. Thus, reproductive competition occurs so that the genes of specific subfamilies can be passed on and survive. However, no evidence of reproductive competition exists within V. maculifrons colonies. Although a second male may occasionally attempt to grasp a queen immediately after copulation with another male, postcopulatory sperm competition is not common. In addition, reproductive skew among males is low.[18]
Life history and survivorship curves
Towards the end of the seasonal cycle, the gynes mate with multiple males. Then, around November to December, the colony begins to
Interaction with other species
Diet
V. maculifrons is a polyphagous species, meaning that they feed on a variety of foods.
Predators
V. maculifrons has many predators; most are mammals much larger than the wasps, such as
Parasites
Vespula squamosa is a common parasite of V. maculifrons, though they are facultative, which means they can live both independently and parasitically. Roughly 80% of V. squamosa colonies are parasitic, which can be determined if any V. maculifrons workers are present or if the nest itself has the characteristics of a V. maculifrons nest, such as its typical small, tan cells.[5] However, parasitic colonies were not as frequent in areas of unobstructed forest.[2] In the colonies that do become parasitic, a V. squamosa queen forcibly takes control of the nest from the host queen. Then, the host colony's workers raise the first brood of V. squamosa, until their own workers are mature.[5] Eventually, all V. maculifrons workers will die out.[22]
Commensals
The larvae feed on this waste, thereby preventing waste and debris buildup under the nest.Economic importance
Eastern yellow jackets destroy many insects that consume cultivated and ornamental plants, providing a valuable service to humans. They can, however, be a source of irritation when their nests are located near homes. They are adept at stinging, especially if the nest is threatened. Not to be confused with certain bees that die after a single sting, these wasps may sting repeatedly whenever they feel it necessary and can inflict a very painful sting.[3]
References
- ^ Hoffman, Eric A., Kovacs, Jennifer L. and Goodisman, Michael A. D. (August 20, 2008). Genetic structure and breeding system in a social wasp and its social parasite. BMC Evolutionary Biology.
- ^ JSTOR 25084177.
- ^ a b c d e f Yellowjackets and Hornets: Vespula and Dolichovespula spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Grissell, E.E. and Fasulo, T.R. 2007. University of Florida IFAS Extension, pp. 1-5.
- ^ Buck, Matthias; Marshall, Stephen A.; Cheung, David K. B. (2008). "Identification Atlas of the Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Aculeata) of the northeastern Nearctic region". Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification. 5: 20–21, 402–403.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Greene, Albert, John F. Macdonald, Peter J. Landolt, and Harry G. Davis. "Biology." in The Yellowjackets of America North of Mexico. By Roger D. Akre. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1980. 3+. Print.
- ^ Milne, Lorus and Milne, Margery. (1980). Yellow Jackets. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. s.l. : Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. pp. 836-837.
- ^ S2CID 23683216.
- ^ Andrews, Christopher. (1971). The Lives of Wasps and Bees. New York:American Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc. pp.100-107.
- ^ ISSN 0066-4170.
- ^ S2CID 83103479.
- ^ S2CID 20594739.
- ^ PMID 17767595.
- ^ Evans, Howard E. and West Eberhard, Mary Jane. The Wasps. Ann Arbor : The University of Michigan Press, 1970.
- JSTOR 3495673.
- ^ a b Post, David C (1980). "Observations on male behavior of the Eastern Yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)". Entomological News. 91 (4): 113–16.
- JSTOR 25084456.
- .
- S2CID 11481057.
- S2CID 406128.
- ^ S2CID 19468488.
- ^ a b Edwards, Robin. "The Behaviour of Workers outside the Nest." in Social Wasps: Their Biology and Control. East Grinstead: Rentokil, 1980. 120-45. <https://www.academia.edu/2325339/Edwards_1980_Social_Wasps_Their_Biology_and_Control>.
- S2CID 85288879.
External links
- Eastern Yellowjacket, BugGuide
- Yellow Jacket, Insects of the Duke Campus
- Citizen science observations for Eastern yellowjacket at iNaturalist
- "yellowjackets and hornets - Dolichovespula". Entomology Department. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences(IFAS), UF. Retrieved 2021-12-23.
- "Eastern Yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons)". Maryland Biodiversity Project. Retrieved 2021-12-23.