Common Yellowjacket

Vespula vulgaris is the most common social wasp across temperate North America, Europe, and now invasive in Australia and New Zealand. Workers are 12-17 mm with the iconic yellow-and-black banded body. Unlike honey bees, the yellowjacket sting is smooth and not barbed — meaning each worker can sting MANY times without dying. Approximately 30 deaths per year in the US are attributed to yellowjacket-induced anaphylaxis, making them a more deadly insect than the more-feared 'killer' bees. Colonies are annual: a fertilized queen overwinters alone, founds a paper nest in spring, and grows the colony to 1,500-5,000 workers by late summer. As the colony reaches its seasonal peak in August-September, the queen stops laying eggs and the colony begins to starve. This is when yellowjackets become aggressive food-raiders — invading picnics, garbage cans, soda cans, and food trucks for any available carbohydrate or protein. By October-November the colony is dead except for the new fertilized queens, which overwinter alone to start the cycle again. The Wild Pest team in BC handles wasp removal as one of the four flagship residential services.