Eastern Yellowjacket

Vespula maculifrons

no photo — written note
photo: Wikimedia Commons
Insects

Sharply yellow-and-black wasp nesting underground in banks and lawns.

Field facts
HabitatLawns, field banks, woodland edges
RangeStatewide
When to lookPeaks August to October
StatusSecure (Indiana DNR / IUCN Red List)
Look-alikesPaper wasps, Hover flies

Field note: Colonies grow all summer then die out entirely at frost.

Lesson
Watching responsibly

Late-summer picnic pests; cover food rather than swatting.

Ground nests sting in numbers when mowed over.

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