Summary ²

Vespula is a small genus of social wasps, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. Along with members of their sister genus Dolichovespula, they are collectively known by the common name yellowjackets (or yellow-jackets) in North America. Vespula species have a shorter oculo-malar space (shown in the figure below) and a more pronounced tendency to nest underground than Dolichovespula.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) don5erickson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/36975823@N06/3402509811/
2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespula

More Info

• iNaturalist.ca taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

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