#german yellowjacket

[a-wasp-in-the-hand]

farewell

(these are males, don't do this with females, etc etc)

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

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.

Pictures were taken on May 29, 2025 with a Google Pixel 8a. For additional information regarding North American Vespula specie identification and how to discern differences between Wasp Queens, Workers and Drones of the same specie, you can check out Bugguide's Vespula genus page via the clickable link if you like.

[unkn0wnvariable]

Gathering Wasp

A german wasp gathering wood scrapings from one of the picnic benches, at RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes.

[wildflowers-of-southern-ontario]

German Yellowjacket Vespula germanica Vespidae

Photograph taken on September 10, 2022, at Spadina Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

[toothedgoose]

Vespula germanica

German yellowjacket

Avispa europea

7 of October 2022 — New York, USA

An intimate moment. The male (drone) is the smaller one, and the female is larger (a to-be-queen!). After mating with multiple males, the female will overwinter, storing the sperm in an organ called the spermatheca until the spring. In the spring, the new queen will collect wood fibers to make a nest, where she will lay eggs that were fertilized in this encounter. As the eggs hatch and the larvae grow, the queen takes care of them, foraging for food to feed them. These larvae then eventually hatch into workers, and afterwards the queen stays in the nest, with workers taking over foraging duties.

[onenicebugperday]

@ambiguu submitted: Ok so i found this lady in my house one night, she seemed tired and I put her outside on my thyme plant. In the morning she was on this branch being very still but she still moved when I prodded her very gently, so i brought some honey and dripped it on her branch. She was very hungry apparently! She ate for about 5 minutes, then she started up her wings and flew away c: she's so pretty, it made me happy to be able to see her up close. From Victoria Australia

Ohhhh she is beautiful! Especially love the photo. What a gorgeous gal. Glad she was okay and eventually flew off to live her best wasp life!

[spw-art]

compilation of things on my hand that most people would not want on their hand

[psikonauti]

German Yellowjacket (Vespula germanica)