downy yellowjacket

(Vespula flavopilosa)

Conservation Status
downy yellowjacket
Photo by Bill Reynolds
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

NNR - Unranked

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

In eastern North America there are four Vespula species that closely resemble each other, common yellowjacket (V. alascensis), downy yellowjacket (V. flavopilosa), eastern yellowjacket (V. maculifrons), and German yellowjacket (V. germanica). This makes yellowjacket identification in the region difficult.

Downy yellowjacket is a medium-sized, ½ to long, predatory, social wasp. It closely resembles eastern yellowjacket. It is thought by some to be a hybrid between eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) and common yellowjacket (V. alascensis). Others suggest that it probably arose as a hybrid but now queens mate with drones of the same species.

There are two large compound eyes, one on each side of the head; and three small simple eyes (ocelli) at the top of the head between the compound eyes. The upper (dorsal) space between the compound eyes is entirely black—there is no yellow “eye loop”. The ridge on the rear of the head (occipital carina) is well developed through its entire length, and continues uninterrupted to the base of the jaw (mandible). The distance between the lateral ocelli and the occipital carina is about the same as the distance between the two lateral oceili. The yellow band on the area below the compound eye (gena) is continuous, not interrupted with black. The space between the bottom of the compound eye and the top of the mandible is narrow. The eyes touch, or almost touch, the mandibles.

The antennae are long and black. Males have 12 antennal segments, females have 13. The hardened plate at the base of each antenna is yellow, the rest is black. The under (ventral) side of the first antenna segment (pedicel) is black, not yellow.

The stout body is slightly wider than the head. The thorax is densely covered with long yellow hairs. A yellow band at the leading edge of the first section (pronotum) is interrupted nearest to the head (at the apex). The dorsal surface of the largest section (scutum) is black, and usually has no stripes down the middle.

The abdomen of the female has six segments, while that of the male has seven segments. The upper plate (tergum) of each abdominal segment is yellow with black markings. The first tergum has a diamond-shaped basal mark that varies in width but is usually V-shaped, without a narrow “neck” at the base. The second tergum usually does not have black spots surrounded by yellow (free).

The coloration of the thorax and abdomen is variable, some with more yellow (xanthic), others with more black (melanic). Xanthic individuals may have short yellow stripes on the scutum and small free black spots on the second abdominal tergum.

The legs are yellow.

The wings are clear.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Workers: ½ to

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

 

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

April through Autumn

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

The overwintering queen emerges from hibernation in April or May. In early summer she builds an embryonic nest. The nest begins as just three hexagonal cells. Into each cell she deposits a single egg then covers the cell with fragile paper. She continues building 20 to 45 cells while caring for the grubs as they hatch. In about 30 days the workers emerge and take over nest building duties.

The nest is constructed underground from fecal matter and chewed wood fibers (carton) cemented with saliva. The carton is tan and fragile, but noticeably sturdier than that of eastern and common yellowjackets.

Through spring and summer the queen produces a large number of worker wasps. In mid-summer, the nest grows exponentially, as more and more workers become available, ultimately with 3,500 to 15,000 cells. In late summer the queen begins producing new queens and males. In Minnesota the nests do not survive the winter. Old queens, males, and workers are killed by cold weather in the fall. Only the new queens survive the winter. They mate with up to 7 males in the late summer or fall, then hibernate under loose tree bark, in a decaying stump, or in another sheltered location.

 
     
 

Larva Food

 
 

Pre-chewed fragments of caterpillars and other soft-bodied insects, and probably nectar and honeydew.

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Live arthropods; carrion; fruit; honeydew of aphids, caterpillars, and some scale insects; human processed food and garbage; and other sources of protein and sugar. Queens feed on flower nectar in the spring.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

24, 27, 29, 30, 82.

 
  8/29/2023      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Not common in Minnesota

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)  
 

Suborder

Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)  
 

Infraorder

Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)  
 

Superfamily

Vespoidea (vespoid wasps)  
 

Family

Vespidae (hornets, paper wasps, potter wasps, and allies)  
 

Subfamily

Vespinae (hornets and yellowjackets)  
 

Genus

Vespula (ground yellowjackets)  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

downy yellowjacket

hybrid yellowjacket

transition yellowjacket

yellow-haired yellowjacket

 
       
 

One of the common names for this newly identified (1978) species is hybrid yellowjacket. This refers to the possibility that it may be a hybrid between eastern and German yellowjackets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Carina

An elevated keel or ridge.

 

Occiput

The back of the head. In Odonata, Megaloptera, and Neuroptera, the upper part of the head behind the eyes.

 

Ocellus

Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.

 

Pronotum

The exoskeletal plate on the upper side of the first segment of the thorax of an insect.

 

Scutum

The forward (anterior) portion of the middle segment of the thorax (mesonotum) in insects and some arachnids.

 

Tergite

The upper (dorsal), hardened plate on a segment of the thorax or abdomen of an arthropod. Plural: terga.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Alfredo Colon

 
    downy yellowjacket      
           
    downy yellowjacket   downy yellowjacket  
           
    downy yellowjacket   downy yellowjacket  
           
    downy yellowjacket   downy yellowjacket  
 

Bill Reynolds

 
 

Pretty dry up here and the wasps are out in great numbers. So far, they aren't bothering the honey bees.

  downy yellowjacket  
         
 

downy yellowjacket

     
           
 
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Other Videos
 
  Downy Yellow Jacket Nest (Vespidae: Vespula flavopilosa) in Rodent Burrow
Carl Barrentine
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 12, 2010

Photographed at the Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (11 August 2010). If I counted correctly, I think that 13 individuals entered this burrow and 14 exited during this 70 second clip. Thank you to 'Vespula.vulgaris' (@Bugguide.net) for identifying a specimen from this colony! Go here to learn more about this species: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Vespula+flavopilosa

 
  Vespula flavopilosa Nest # 1 - 2015
Casey Borowski Jr
 
   
 
About

Published on Sep 10, 2015

This video shows the worker activity of a nest of the Downy Yellowjacket, Vespula flavopilosa. Oregon Ridge Park, Cockeysville, Baltimore County, Maryland, USA. Filmed on August 16, 2015.

 
  Vespula flavopilosa abdominal signal
maculifrons
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 28, 2009

Look very closely at the workers. Some of them were vibrating their abdomen so rapidly that I could actually hear the sound created (although you can't here it in the video)

I wonder what the use of this signal is for. Not all of the workers were doing it

 
  Her dying days
maculifrons
 
   
 
About

Published on Oct 9, 2012

This is a rare glimpse of an old foundress, Vespula flavopilosa, in her dying days. She was extracted from her mature nest on October 8th

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
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Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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  Alfredo Colon
8/25/2022

Location: Albany, NY

downy yellowjacket  
  Alfredo Colon
8/22/2022

Location: Albany, NY

downy yellowjacket  
  Alfredo Colon
8/17/2022

Location: Albany, NY

downy yellowjacket  
  Alfredo Colon
8/3/2022

Location: Albany, NY

downy yellowjacket  
  Alfredo Colon
8/19/2019

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota

downy yellowjacket  
  Bill Reynolds
9/1/2017

Location: Pennington Co. MN

Pretty dry up here and the wasps are out in great numbers. So far, they aren't bothering the honey bees.

downy yellowjacket  
           
 
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Created 9/6/2017

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