![]() ![]() ![]() In contrast to honey bees, yellowjackets have yellow or white markings, are not covered with tan-brown dense hair on their bodies, and do not have the flattened, hairy pollen-carrying hind legs characteristic of honey bees (although they are capable of pollination). Yellowjackets are sometimes mistakenly called " bees" (as in "meat bees"), given that they are similar in size and general coloration to honey bees, but yellowjackets are actually wasps. Yellowjacket stinger in its sheath in a scanning electron microscope A typical yellowjacket worker is about 12 mm (0.47 in) long, with alternating bands on the abdomen the queen is larger, about 19 mm (0.75 in) long (the different patterns on their abdomens help separate various species). Yellowjackets may be confused with other wasps, such as hornets and paper wasps such as Polistes dominula. Identification Face of a southern yellowjacket ( Vespula squamosa) Yellowjackets are important predators of pest insects. They can be identified by their distinctive markings, their occurrence only in colonies, and a characteristic, rapid, side-to-side flight pattern prior to landing. Some have an abdomen with a red background color instead of black. Most of these are black and yellow like the eastern yellowjacket ( Vespula maculifrons) and the aerial yellowjacket ( Dolichovespula arenaria) some are black and white like the bald-faced hornet ( Dolichovespula maculata). Members of these genera are known simply as " wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Yellowjacket or yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. ![]()
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