Eastern Yellowjacket
Vespula maculifrons
Description 2
The Eastern Yellow jacket ranges in size from 1.25-1.8 cm long, depending on its caste (queen, worker, male). Distinguishing features on the Eastern Yellow jacket are the black and yellow stripes that accent the abdomen. The patterns on the abdomen are also determined by caste. Vespula maculifrons workers are typically 1.25 cm in length, the male yellow jacket is the same size and the queen Eastern Yellow jacket is slightly larger than the male and worker at 1.8 cm. Female Eastern Yellow jackets have a stinger located on the posterior end of the abdomen (gaster). The yellow jacket is able to sting its victims repeatedly, however the stinger is slightly barbed and has a tendency to become stuck in the victim.The yellow jacket also has well-developed mouthparts that are specially designed to capture and chew prey (such as many kinds of caterpillars). Along with strong jaws the yellow jacket has a highly developed tongue for sucking nectar and fruit juices from the plants.
Sources and Credits
- (c) sankax, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/sankax/3467684761/
- Adapted by okaloosascience from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31429497
