File: <germanyellowjacket > Pooled References GENERAL
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German Yellowjacket Vespula germanica (Fabricius,
1793) -- Hymenoptera: Vespidae |
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This wasp
became established in the North American from the 1970s to 1980s and reached
southern California about 1991.
Other Vespula species of
Vespula are not considered to
be pests. Vespula. germanica has acquired more
diverse habitats in which to nest, which gives rise to higher population
densities. The strain that occurs in
California has a habit of nesting in attics or in the walls of
buildings. The proximity to humans
makes this species a greater public health threat. Solitary founder queens overwinter in protected places and
start new colonies in a structural cavity in the spring. After the first brood of workers the queen
becomes nestbound as the colony rapidly increases in size. The nest is constructed of a papier-mβchι
like substance that surrounds tiers of developing wasps. By July or August there may be more than
4,000 wasps in the nest, which may reach 2 feet in diameter. Guard wasps attack if the nest is
disturbed. No
deaths have been attributed to the German yellowjackets, but their numbers
intimidate people in urban areas.
These are the wasps that disturb people everywhere outdoors, and they
actively seek out spilled sodas at eateries, etc. The wasps scavenger
behavior near humans increases sting potential. Avoidance is probably the best tactic for control. It is especially important to avoid
contact with their nests. Wasps are
especially provoked by human proximity to their nests and will attack in
large numbers, causing death in susceptible individuals. REFERENCES: Archer, M. E. 1985. Population Dynamics of the Social Wasps Vespula vulgaris and Vespula germanica in England. Journal of
Animal Ecology. 54 (2): 473485. Archer, M.
E. 2014. The Vespoid Wasps (Tiphiidae, Mutillidae,
Sapygidae, Scoliidae and Vespidae) of the British Isles. London: Royal Entomological Society. p.
61. Coelho,
J. R. 1995. Load-lifting capacities of three species
of yellowjackets (Vespula) foraging on honey-bee corpses. Functional Ecology. 9 (2): 1714. D'Adamo, Paola. 2007. Foraging behavior related to habitat
characteristics in the invasive wasp Vespula
germanica. Insect Science. 14 (5): 3838. D'Adamo,
Paola. 2009. Flexible Foraging Behavior in the Invasive
Social Wasp Vespula germanica. Annals of the Entomological Society of
America. 102. Gambino, Parker. 1995. Dolichovespula (Hymenoptera: Vespidae),
Hosts of Aphomia sociella (L.)
(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Journal of
the New York Entomological Society. 103 (2):
1659. Goodisman, Michael. 2001. Hierarchical genetic structure of the
introduced wasp Vespula germanica
in Australia. Molecular Ecology. 10 (6): 142332. Goodisman, Michael. 2002. Mating and reproduction in the wasp Vespula germanica. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 51
(6): 497502. Harris, R. J.; C. D. Thomas & H. Moller. 1991. The influence of
habitat use and foraging on the replacement of one introduced wasp species by
another in New Zealand. Ecological
Entomology. 16 (4): 4418. Hurd, Christine. 2007. Temporal polyethism and worker
specialization in the wasp, Vespula
germanica. Journal of
Insect Science. 7 (43): 113. Kasper, Marta. 2008. Colony characteristics of Vespula germanica in a Mediterranean
climate. Australian Journal of Entomology.
47 (4): 265274. Kovac, H. &
A. Stabentheiner. 2012. Does size matter? Thermoregulation of 'heavyweight' and
'lightweight' wasps (Vespa crabro
and Vespula sp.). Biology Open. 1 (9): 848856. Legner, E. F. 1995.
Biological control of Diptera of medical and veterinary
importance. J. Vector Ecology 20
(1): 59-120. Lozada,
Mariana. 2011. Past Experience: a Help or a Hindrance to Vespula germanica Foragers?. Insect Behavior. 24. Masciocchi, Maite. 2010. Competition for food between the exotic
wasp Vespula germanica and the
native ant assemblage of NW Patagonia: evidence of biotic resistance?. Biological Invasions. 12 (3): 625631. Matheson, R. 1950. Medical Entomology. Comstock Publ. Co, Inc. 610 p. Pasquet, Alain; Julien Cardot & Raymond Leborgne. 2007.
Wasp Attacks and Spider Defence in the Orb Weaving Species Zygiella
x-notata. Journal of Insect Behavior.
20 (6): 553564. Sackmann,
Paula; Mauricio Rabinovich & Juan Carlos Corley. 2001. Successful Removal of German Yellow Jackets
(Hymenoptera: Vespidae) by Toxic Baiting.
Journal of Economic Entomology. 94 (4): 81116. Service, M. 2008. Medical Entomology For Students. Cambridge Univ. Press. 289 p Whiting, P. W. 1935a.
Sex determination in bees and wasps.
J. Heredity 26: 263-78. Whiting, P. W. 1935b. Sex determination in bees and wasps. Quart Rev. Biol. 20: 231-60. |