Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 06/30/09. Collected by Jonathan Knight (9 years
old). © Peter J. Bryant

Western Yellowjacket

Vespula pensylvanica

Hymenoptera: Vespidae

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Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 06/30/09. Collected by Jonathan Knight (9 years
old). © Peter J. Bryant
Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 06/30/09. Collected by Jonathan Knight (9 years
old). © Peter J. Bryant

Irvine Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 10-24-06. © Ron Hemberger
Irvine Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 10-24-06. © Ron Hemberger

Irvine Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 10-24-06. © Ron Hemberger


Irvine Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 6-11-08. © Ron Hemberger

Irvine Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 6-15-09. © Ron Hemberger
Irvine Regional Park, Orange, Orange County, CA. 6-15-09. © Ron Hemberger

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 5-22-10. © Ron Hemberger
Nix Nature Center, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 6-21-09. © Ron Hemberger

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 12-28-09. © Ron Hemberger
Western yellow jacket and a drone honey bee. Honey bees had nested in a sprinkler vault, under encelia and adjacent to a trail near the Arboretum's Potting Shed store. Some bees had fallen onto the trail, apparently near death. Hovering near the ground, the yellow jacket investigated the soon-to-be corpses, then selected a drone honey bee. It landed next to the bee and put its mouth to the bee's mouth. What was happening? Bug Guide Contributing Editor Harsi Parker notes "the mouth is the preferred method of dragging off honey bees. I've got some photos of an impressively small ant attempting the same maneuver with a near-dead bee. My guess would be, it's the point furthest from the stinger, eh?"  Another contributor then noted "I think one reason the mouth parts are attractive to the scavenging Yellowjacket is that the dying drone wqas regurgitating some Honey from its crop."

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 12-28-09. © Ron Hemberger
Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 12-28-09. © Ron Hemberger

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 3-9-10. © Ron Hemberger
Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 3-9-10. © Ron Hemberger

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 3-9-10. © Ron Hemberger
Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 3-9-10. © Ron Hemberger

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 7-10-10. © Ron Hemberger
Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 7-10-10. © Ron Hemberger

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 7-10-10. © Ron Hemberger
Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 4-24-10. © Ron Hemberger

Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 3-5-10. © Ron Hemberger
Fullerton Arboretum, Fullerton, Orange County, CA. 3-5-10. © Ron Hemberger

Dining on flame skimmer, caught in web. Oak Canyon Nature Center, Anaheim, Orange County, CA. 7-19-10. © Ron Hemberger
Dining on flame skimmer, caught in web. Oak Canyon Nature Center, Anaheim, Orange County, CA. 7-19-10. © Ron Hemberger

Nest and two workers. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Beach, CA. 9-9-11. © Peter J. Bryant
Nest and two workers. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Beach, CA. 9-9-11. © Peter J. Bryant

Nest and two workers. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Beach, CA. 9-9-11. © Peter J. Bryant
Worker. Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Beach, CA. 9-9-11. © Peter J. Bryant