Aerial Yellowjackets Identification Guide

Aerial Yellowjackets Identification Guide

Physical Characteristics

Aerial yellowjackets are medium-sized wasps, about 12 to 20 millimeters long (roughly half an inch to three-quarters of an inch). They have the classic yellowjacket look with black and yellow stripes on their abdomen. The thorax is mostly black with some yellow markings. Their clear wings fold flat along their body when resting.

One way to tell them apart from ground-nesting yellowjackets is their longer face. Queens are bigger than workers and have black spots on their abdomen. Workers have thin waists and six yellow legs. Their antennae are black and have segments. The yellow stripes on the first two segments of the abdomen may look broken or notched.

Common Species

The aerial yellowjacket (Dolichovespula arenaria) is also called the common aerial yellowjacket or sandhills hornet. It is found across North America, from Alaska down to Arizona and New Mexico. This makes it one of the most common wasps you might see.

Other related species include:

• Bald-faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata): Has black and white coloring instead of yellow
• Northern Aerial Yellowjacket (Dolichovespula norvegicoides): Found mostly in northern areas
• Parasitic Aerial Yellowjacket (Dolichovespula arctica): Takes over nests of other aerial yellowjackets

Aerial Yellowjacket Behavior and Biology

Aerial yellowjackets are social insects. They live in colonies with one queen, many workers, and males that appear in late summer. In spring, a queen that survived the winter comes out and picks a nesting spot. She builds a small paper nest and raises her first batch of workers by herself.

Nesting Habits

Unlike ground-nesting yellowjackets, aerial yellowjackets build their nests above ground in open areas. You might find their nests in tree branches, shrubs, under building eaves, or under other overhangs. They make the nest from wood fibers mixed with their saliva, creating a paper-like material. A full-sized nest has one to six combs inside a gray paper shell with one entrance hole at the bottom.

What They Eat

Aerial yellowjacket workers are hunters that catch many types of insects. They eat grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, flies, spiders, and even lady beetles. They usually hunt in trees and shrubs about 6 to 13 feet off the ground. Unlike other yellowjackets, they rarely bother people at picnics looking for food. However, they may look for sweet drinks and foods in late summer when their colony is slowing down.

Colony Cycle

Colonies grow fast in early summer. Worker numbers peak by mid-summer. In the mid-Atlantic region, colonies may be fully grown and making new queens by late June. This means aerial yellowjackets often die out before ground-nesting species are at their busiest. By late summer or early fall, the old queen dies and the colony breaks up. Young mated queens find shelter to survive the winter and start new colonies the next spring.

Defensive Behavior

Aerial yellowjackets will attack if their nest is disturbed. Bigger colonies tend to be more aggressive than smaller ones. These wasps have an unusual ability: they can spray venom from their stingers without actually stinging. This spray releases scent signals that bring other workers to help attack. Single workers may also follow people around, buzzing near their heads. They do this because they hunt flies that gather around people.

How We Treat for Aerial Yellowjackets

We use different methods depending on where the nest is located:

• Nests in Trees and Shrubs: We apply a long-lasting insecticide directly to the nest. We use special equipment to make sure the treatment reaches the whole colony. We usually do this early in the morning or in the evening when most of the workers are inside.

• Nests on Buildings: For nests on eaves, overhangs, or walls, we spray insecticide directly on the nest and entrance hole. This kills the colony and stops any returning workers from starting over.

• Nests in Wall Voids: When yellowjackets build inside wall spaces, we apply insecticide dust or foam into the nest opening. We may need to come back for follow-up treatments to make sure all the insects are gone.

• Prevention Tips: After treatment, we suggest sealing gaps and cracks where wasps might enter. Remove old nests and keep outdoor food covered. Make sure your garbage cans have tight lids.

If yellowjackets come back between services, we provide free callbacks to take care of the problem.

References

• Yellowjackets and Other Social Wasps - Virginia Cooperative Extension
• Yellowjackets - University of California IPM
• Stinging Insect Allergy - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• Controlling Wasps, Bees, and Hornets Around Your Home - University of Kentucky