Query : hornets attracted to light but not wasps

Kenelm Philip fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu
Tue Dec 29 04:32:09 EST 1998


                                                                                
> I hate to tell you this but hornets and wasp are the same, family vespi-
> dae. They are all carnivorous and they may be showing up because of the
> food source. The Baldfaced hornet is actually a yellowjacket.

	Some clarification is needed:

	The term 'wasp' applies to all Hymenoptera except ants and bees. The
term 'yellowjacket' applies to the two native North American genera in the
subfamily Vespinae: _Vespula_ and _Dolichovespula_. The true hornets are
another genus in this subfamily: _Vespa_. One European species, _Vespa
crabro_, has been introduced to North America.

	Strictly speaking, the term 'hornet' applies to _Vespa_. However,
in North America the species _D. maculata_ is called the baldfaced hornet,
although it is also a yellowjacket.

	The _Vespula vulgaris_ group of yellowjackets will scavenge for both
flesh and sweets, which makes them a major annoyance at picnics. Included
in this group is the imported species _V. germanica_, which has spread
widely in the U.S. (and New Zealand). This group has larger colonies, and
longer colony duration, than the other yellowjackets, adding to their
effect on humans.

	_Dolichovespula_, and the _Vespula rufus_ group, normally feed only
on live prey.

							Ken Philip
fnkwp at auf.edu



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