SBBG Lompoc SWP Floral Visitor Guide

The European hornet (Vespa crabro) is the largest eusocial wasp in Europe and the largest vespine in North America. It is actually the only true hornet found in North America. V. crabro is usually regarded as a pest by those humans who come into contact with it. Vespines, like V. crabro, are known for making nests out of surrounding plant materials and other fibers to create intricate paper nests. Unlike most other vespines, reproductive suppression involves... less ↑

The Oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis, is a social insect of the Vespidae family. It can be found in Southwest Asia, Northeast Africa, the island of Madagascar, Israel and parts of Southern Europe. Oriental hornets have also been found in a few isolated locations such as Mexico due to human introduction. The Oriental hornet lives in seasonal colonies consisting of caste system dominated by a queen. The hornet builds its nests underground and communicates using sound vibrations.... less ↑

The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula, often misspelled as dominulus) is one of the most common and well-known species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. Its diet is more diverse than that of most Polistes species (many genera of insects versus mainly caterpillars in other Polistes), giving it superior survival value over many other wasp species during a shortage of resources. less ↑

Vespula vulgaris, known as the common wasp, is a wasp found in various regions of the world including the United Kingdom, Germany, India, China, New Zealand, and Australia. It is sometimes known as the European wasp; the same name is used for the species Vespula germanica, which is also known as the German wasp. Another name for Vespula vulgaris is the "common yellow-jacket". It was discovered in 2010 that wasps in North America thought to be... less ↑

Stenodynerus is a rather large genus of potter wasps whose distribution spans the Nearctic, Palearctic, Oriental and Neotropical regions. Most of its species lack a transverse carina on the first metasomal tergum. A pair of medial pits on the anterior face of the pronotum and the expansion of the tegulae put this genus close to genera as Parancistrocerus, Hypancistrocerus and Eustenancistrocerus. less ↑

The western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) is a Nearctic species of wasp in the genus Vespula. It is native to regions of North America, largely in areas with northern temperate climates. Its reproductive behavior is constrained by cold weather, which successfully reduces the number of western yellowjackets in cold months. However, in the absence of cold weather, this wasp's population can explode. The western yellowjacket has become particularly invasive in the Hawaiian less ↑