11 replies to this topic

[Alza]

All discussion related to myrmecological observations, sightings, and mating flights. I identified the species to be Vespula arenaria, but my second guess would be Vespula spp. I took a lot of pictures, but don't know how to post them They seemed to swarm around the subnitidus colony and some picked up the workers. From what i saw the Vespula raiders didn't get inside and the pogonomyrmex subnitidus colony took most of the dead vespula bodies, but i was able to get some of them before they did. Basically the subntidus won. 

[Gregory2455]

If I am not mistaken, Vespula spp. means all the species in the genus Vespula. It is not a known species, it just means you are not able to ID it down to the species, and it can look like multiple species in the genus.

Edited by Gregory2455, September 18 2014 - 3:56 PM.

[Gregory2455]

Your Pogonomyrmex colonies over in Chathsworth seem to need to put up with a lot...

[dspdrew]

Spp is just the plural of sp.

[Alza]

I'm saying that its in the genus of yellow jackets, I'm not giving a direct name... god -.- vespula arenaria are hornets, and vespula spp are yellow jackets. But arenaria are very closely related 

[Gregory2455]

Spp is just the plural of sp.

 

That is what I was trying to sum it up to!

[dermy]

First off, there is no such species as Vespula arenaria, it's known as Dolichovespula arenaria. They usually die off before the middle of September, and don't usually conduct raids, esp. not on ants.

 

Sounds to me like Vespula pennsylvancus or Vespula maculifrancos, Western or Eastern Yellow jackets respectively.

 

But due to you being in a different area then me it could be a species that I've never learned about in my 3 yrs  of learning about and keeping Yellow-Jackets.

 

You can use Photo-bucket to upload photos. Works great for me and others. 

[Gregory2455]

Told by someone who isn't even in California. I think that is true though.

[dermy]

I know I'm not in Cali, but I still know a thing or two about Vespula species, a lot more then I think Alz does.

[Gregory2455]

Alza thinks he knows. Weren't you into keeping wasps at one point?

[Alza]

Dolichovespula arenaria 1775(Aerial Yellowjacket) Dolichovespula nests are usually aerial, while Vespula often nest underground. Vespula arenaria is its own species, and commonly called the sand hills hornet. 

[dermy]

Cool, never knew that, i'll look that up.