#yellowjacket queen

German Yellowjacket (Queen) - Vespula germanica

Although today's find may seem like just an ordinary Yellowjacket Wasp, I assure you that she is something very special. This individual is in fact a Wasp Queen, and the first to be featured on this blog. When her pictures were taken, she was observed gathering wood pulp using the scraping action of her mandibles. You can see how much she has scraped up based on the trail left in the wooden signpost. I would have taken a video, but the construction near the Lash Miller chemistry building was too loud for a comfortable experience. In any case, as a young queen who has survived the bitter chill of winter, it is up to her to choose a suitable location for her nest, and then construct the beginning of that nest. She's completed the latter, and typically this specie is a ground-nesting Wasp, rather than one who builds a nest in a cavity or under an overhang. However, on the University of Toronto's (U of T) campus, it's possible that this regal specimen found a nice seclusion to build in. In any case, she collects material to build nest combs in which eggs will be placed. Over time her first batch of hatchlings will mature into adult workers, and they will be assigned with the queen's former duties of foraging, defending and maintaining the structure and cleanliness of the nest.

When those workers Wasps eventually go to forage, I can seem them being quite a major nuisance during U of T campus' summer time. Interestingly, the many generations of Wasps that this queen creates will appear slightly different in terms of appearance (its all in the genes). With that being the case, how can be tell that the Wasp in these pictures is a queen? The answer is relatively simple for this specie: German Yellowjacket queens will have a diamond-shaped marking on the first segment of their abdomen. By comparison, the similar-looking native Eastern Yellowjacket (both queens and workers) have a wide "anchor-shaped" marking in the same location, as do the German Yellowjacket workers (their anchor-marking is more narrow). Further, this queen's subordinates will also display more prominent black markings along the abdomen's segments, while a queen's pattern typically appears reduced, as if her abdomen has black spots running down the side. The face of a Yellowjacket can also provide a clue on which specie she belongs to. Thanks to Picture 6's close up, we can see spots on lower part of her face and no further prominent striping in the center of her face or above her antenna. As a final add-on, male/drone Wasps are simpler to identify from their fellow nestmates; they have longer antennae and distinctly longer abdomens which lack a sharp tip.

German Yellowjacket (Queen) - Vespula germanica

Finding one Wasp Queen this year was already a miracle... but finding two queens was something special! Moreover, the circumstances by which this queen was found also present an opportunity to highlight eusocial insect behavior as the year ends. Firstly, a quick refresher! While today's find may seem like just an ordinary Yellowjacket at first glance, she is indeed a newly fertilized queen (gyne) seeking a secure location where she can overwinter undisturbed... but more on that later. As an example of the German Yellowjacket species, this individual has a distinct diamond-shaped marking on the first segment of her abdomen; a female worker Wasp within the same colony would have a wider "anchor-shaped" marking. In addition, the black patterning on each German Yellowjacket worker's abdomen segments are more extensive and appear fused to each other. Conversely, a queen's pattern is simplified to lines and spots (the former of which are unusually wide in this individual) running along the abdomen. Finally, while we can't get a good look at her face to point out key features, this much is certain: her abdomen was noticeably large. Specifically in terms of overall size and width, with length proportional (remember, an extra long abdomen and very long antennae usually means you've found a drone/male Wasp), lending more evidence to her being a future queen.

While noble queen she is, she was found resting inside a crevice of the garden shed's door. Initially her breathing was slow (minimal abdomen pulses), but my accidental disturbance caused her to crawl out and take flight after a few minutes. But what was she doing there? Well, as the weather of the year changes from warm summer to cooler temperatures, Hymenopteran colonies either prepare for their end or take all precautions to outlast the coldest months. While Ants and Honeybees are typically the best at renewing their colonies year after year and surviving while their queen is healthy, most Wasp queens don't have an annual longevity, which will cause their colony die off if the cold doesn't intrude first. In preparation for that, the current queen begins the creation of future queens (in the summer) by laying eggs in enlarged cells near the bottom of the nest. Drones are laid and allowed to develop as well, but they are forced out of the colony at the queen's pheromonal command. The young queens developing meanwhile may develop longer in order to accumulate fat reserves.

After the newly hatched queens are ready, they exit the colony, mate with one or more drones to collect gametes, and then search for a secure, concealed and (hopefully) dry location to hide and remain undisturbed until winter passes. Such locations include under tree bark, in hollowed logs, or within the voids of manmade structures. As that happens, the new queen's former colony will like collapse; the ruling queen's time sunsets, and her workers scatter from the nest aimlessly, searching for food to sustain themselves while they stilll have the strength to fly. Well, the mystery is solved! Unfortunately for this individual, she will need to find a new location to hunker down in, but there are a few warm days left in Toronto that she can take advantage of. On a final note, while the metabolism of young Wasp Queens will slow down during the overwintering process, they carry fat reserves in their abdomens as provision until the next spring, as mentioned above. When the warm days of spring arrive, the circle of life carries on, and these new burgeoning queens will seek out fresh sites to build their ground-based nests, and they too will found a colony with worker Wasps at their command.

German Yellowjacket (Queen) - Vespula germanica

Oh my! It appears that we are in the presence of royalty in this post, although it may not appear that way at first. Yes, this is indeed a Yellowjacket queen, emerged from a winter’s diapause to begin her life as ruler of a colony and mother of hundreds of worker Wasps! Bugguide was extremely helpful in identifying this Wasp, and I recommend any Wasp enthusiasts also look at this link to identify your North American Yellowjackets during the year. Each specie of Vespula Wasp’s workers, drones and queens can seemingly be distinguished from one another by looking at their bodies. The queen has a large, wider (compared to her workers) abdomen yes, but she also has a different patterning across her abdomen too. Check the aforementioned link to see the difference in patterning between a queen and her workers. Drone Yellowjackets are a little easier to identify as their abdomens are somewhat slimmed and are longer due to an additional segment (7, females have 6 segments)*. Right now, in the bounty of spring, it’s very likely that this queen is shopping for the right space to build a colony. 

Yellowjacket queens have the choice of constructing a paper nest either above or below ground, but they need that nest affixed to something stable such as the underside of a wooden rail or inside a porchlight (with both of these, I speak from experience). Whatever she chooses, the nest site must be chosen carefully! The queen will undertake a laborious process to construct a nest from chewed wood pulp containing sculpted hexagonal cells in which eggs will be placed. Those eggs will be the first generation of workers, and from there the colony will get going. By summer time, hundreds of workers may be active at once, tending to the nest and the individuals therein. With a queen to keep them in line, the nest can be expanded and more workers created. By summertime, the Yellowjackets will be established and out in force, hunting for food by attacking pest insects and the occasional human delicacy such as fruit or french fries (gotta have salt). Though they can be aggressive and persistent, they’re just doing their best for their colony and those they care for. They may have a bad reputation, but Yellowjackets do have a positive effect on their environment thanks to their pest control and some pollination. I’m sure we’d like them more if they made honey and were as docile as the Digger Wasps. Speaking of which, this queen should probably choose another spot to make a nest, as Blue Mud Daubers are dormant below these bushes and it would be unwise to build on their turf. An army of workers behind a fierce queen might change that though...

*Note: If you can identify a male Yellowjacket, remember that it won’t sting you and can be handled safely. Don’t agitate it however, as it does have some tough chewing mandibles.