German Yellowjacket by Enmos
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Description
Thanks for viewing !! :o)
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This is a worker German Yellowjacket, Vespula germanica,
pulling up fibers for nesting material.
Description
The adults are black or blackish brown wit yellow stripes. Males
measure 13 to 17 mm long, workers 12 to 16 mm, queens 17 to 20 mm.
Antennae have 13 segments in males, and 12 in females. The male
abdomen has 7 segments, the female 6, the latter being equipped with
an ovipositor.
Biology
The most commonly encountered wasp. Actively predatory on other
insects, particularly Diptera (flies, mosquitoes) and caterpillars. In
summer it also feeds on flower nectar and the pulp of ripe fruits
(phytophagous diet).
The nest may be sited above or below ground, but always in shady areas
(holes in walls, hollow rocks, disused burrows). A 2 to 3 cm diameter
opening provides access.
The paste used to fabricate the cells and walls of the nest is made from
pieces of young wood and bark masticated and mixed with saliva. It is
greyish in colour.
The nest may reach a diameter of 30 cm and contain more than 10,000
individuals. The German wasp is relatively long-living. Wasps forage up to
500 m from their nest.
Life Cycle
Fertilized females or "queens" overwinter in a sheltered place. They start
to emerge at around mid-March. Workers appear later, during the summer
and, if the climate is not too rigorous, continue to forage until mid-November.
The queen builds the first cells of the nest, then lays an egg in each cell. She
feeds the first larvae herself; thereafter, workers will continue to construct
the nest and care for or nourish the eggs, (larvae and pupae).
Males and females of the new generation are formed in summer; after mating,
fertilized queens overwinter while males and workers die before the onset
of winter.
Damage
The wasp attacks ripe fruits which it excavates to obtain sugary food, scrape
off the tender bark of young trees to obtain construction material and sugary
sap. In summer and autumn, it enters dwellings in the search for sugary foodstuffs
for its own nourishment and meat to feed the larvae.
This wasp is aggressive; its sting may be dangerous to man and domestic animals.
Distribution
The German wasp is native to Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia.
But has fairly recently spread to Australia, Agentina and the US.
Have a wonderful saturday !! Its raining like hell here, thunder and lightning as
well *sigh*... and i have to go outside :o(
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Thanks for all your wonderful comments on
my last upload, "Tiny Dragon" !!
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Many thanks,
Jeroen
Comments (45)
SNAKEY
Excellent angle for the capture....makes it deadlier looking.;)
miwi
Klasse photo !!!!!!
thesymphonyofthelife
Wov excellent photography with nice details and light. i like the angle. have a good day
Punaguy
Whew, another tight shot here..I'm a little nervous about being this close to these guys having been stung a couple times...looks like he means business tho-. Aloha~
MaydaMason
cool and terrific portrait!
Lary
Perfect macro again! very good details and colours! Have a great day my friend! :)
danob
Super Macro Jeroen and needless to say of interest to bug lovers showing the gathering of material
Raven_427
Another awesome portrait. Love your compo, making this one to far more than "just a fine macro" :-)
sossy
breathtaking macro! simply perfection! ;o)
hare
Wow! How cool he is!
Margana
Ooooh,you wouldn't catch me anywhere near one of these guys.I'm petrified of them!Nasty buggers they are!And maybe german ones like all that stuff you mentioned but the New York ones seem to have a thing for BBQ and soda!Great capture Jeroen.-M :)
maggiemai
LOL Marlene... very relaxed sounding NY bees...hehe Excellent macro Jeroen!!! Incredible detail as always and this just takes my breath away!! I love it!!! VOTE Wow!
KiwiMiss
Such details, DOF and I love the compo!! v
jcv2
Hmmm, spreading to other continents might destabilize vulnerable balances in nature! Never kenw they hunted diptera, that's great anyway!
FearaJinx
I'm allergic to bees of any kind... so you can shoot as many yellowjackets as you want for me. lol.