Wildlife Wednesday - Yellow Jackets

By Andy Ames

Each week I often wonder what I will write about. A few days ago, while working in the yard, a swarm of Yellowjackets said “Don’t forget about us!” Yellowjackets have an interesting life cycle. Each year, around the beginning of May, a mated queen will emerge from hibernation, find a hole or crevasse and start a new nest. In this nest she will create 20-45 cells, each of which she will raise her first set of workers (infertile females). After a couple of weeks, these larvae will developed into adult workers who will form the basis of her hive. They will do all the daily chores- building and maintenance of the nest, foraging for food, feeding and caring for the young, basically everything except egg laying. Young are fed animal matter brought back by the workers. This may be carrion, worms, or other bugs. It is then chewed to a pulp and fed to the developing larvae. Late in summer larger cells are formed in the nest where males and fertile females will develop. Once mature, these new males and females will leave the nest to mate. Soon after mating the males die and the females will search for shelter for the winter. She will be the new queen for the following year.

Although normally docile, Yellowjackets can aggressively defend their nest.

Unlike honeybees, Yellowjackets do not have a barbed stinger so can sting repeatedly. If stung, it has been advised to back away slowly, something much easier said than done!

Busy worker Yellowjackets expanding and maintaining their nest. The nest is made of paper composed of chewed up plant material and saliva.

Despite their powerful sting, Yellowjackets are relatively small. Worker females are about 1/2” long, queens a little larger.

Worker Yellowjackets are often attracted to sweets and consume fruits, pollen, nectar, and especially honeydew — not the honeydew we know as a fruit but honeydew from insects, a clear, sticky liquid waste often seen on leaves.

Each Yellowjacket nest is active for only one year. By late fall all the works as well as the old queen will die off and the remains may be foraged on by bears or skunks.