VESPA CRABRO

APPEARENCE

• Wide , up to 1.8 inches long..

• The wings are orange-red .

• Orange abdomen with brown stripes.

LIFE CYCLE

• Nests are found during the spring.

• Most die in late autumn.

• Only the fertilized queens overwinter .

HABITS

• Nesting – In sheltered places , eg tree trunks, bushes, sides of buildings , barns, attics, hollow walls. Their nests are gray and paper-like .

• A colony can reach a size of 700 workers.

• Only spades when provoked . Their stings are painful to humans. They can bite and sting at the same time . They can mobilize the entire nest to sting in defense which is very dangerous for humans.

• Food – Live insects and sap. Are not attracted by human food.

XYLOCOPA VIRGINICA

APPEARENCE

• 3/4 – 1 inch long .

• Female faces are black, male faces are yellow.

• Bright yellow , orange or white hairs on the thorax.

• No hair on the belly.

• Women have a stinger , men have no sting.

LIFE CYCLE

• Tunnel into wood to lay eggs.

• The life cycle from egg – larva – pupa – adult takes approximately seven weeks.

• Larva is large and noisy.

• New adults emerge from the nest late August

HABITS

• Only sting if provoked .

• Visibility – late spring to mid-October .

• Nesting – the untreated softwoods are preferred, including redwood, cedar, cypress and pine . Old nests are used year after year.

• Location – Nests can be found in – between roofs, windows , trim, fascia , siding , decks and outdoor furniture .

• Power – flowers that contain pollen, eg Bradfords , daffodils , pansies . Pollen stored in abandoned tunnels for overwintering .

VESPULA

APPEARENCE

• Worker – 1/2 inch long .

• Queen – 3/4 inch long.

• A mix of black and yellow stripes .

• Two pairs of wings .

• Size narrow .

• Sting like a sword.

LIFE CYCLE

• Annual Colonies .
• The queen begins nesting in the spring.

• Very aggressive at the end of the summer.

• Colonies began to decline in the autumn.

• Only inseminated queens hibernate.

HABITS

• Food – at certain times of the year they feed on insects , including caterpillars / pest flies , as colonies grow, they are attracted to foods consumed by humans.

• They bite repeatedly , they bite if provoked only. Symptoms range from swelling in allergic shock which is life threatening.

• Visibility – visible during the day because they do not see well at night .

• Nesting – in the trees / shrubs , or indoors in attics, hollow walls / flooring , sheds, under porches / between – roof buildings.

FAMILY: VESPIDAE, E.G. VESPULA VULGARIS

APPEARENCE

• Black and yellow abdomen .

LIFE CYCLE
• Young Queens overwinter and emerge in the spring to start nest building and lay eggs.

• Workers ( sterile females ) appear in early summer and take over nest building . The Queen continues to ponder eggs.

• New queens and males mate in early fall .

• Nest dies during winter, including all the males and workers . Only the queens survive the next year.

 

Habits
• The colony size – medium to large (up to a maximum of 25 000 persons).

• Preferred nest sites – lofts, wall cavities , old rodent burrows , hollow trees and bushes

• Nest construction – treated wood ( paper ) . Combes placed horizontally . A new nest is produced each year.

• Power – insects and sweet food.

• bite easily and often.