Akre, R.D., A. Greene, J.F. MacDonald, P.J. Landholt, and H.G. Davis. (1981). Yellowjackets
of North America, North of Mexico. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. Handbook
#552.
Vespula sulphurea (California yellowjacket) is restricted almost entirely to the Upper Sonoran fauna of California, but it also occurs in southern Oregon, western Nevada, southern Arizona, and northern Baja, Mexico (fig. 54; Bohart and Bechtel, 1957). Duncan (1939) mentioned three nests that he collected, and included several photographs of one.
Based on the limited data available, V. sulphurea is a subterranean nester. One of the colonies collected by Duncan (1939) in early October 1930 was comprised of 134 workers, 6 new queens, and the foundress queen. The nest contained a few male pupae. Seven additional subterranean colonies have been collected in California by R. E. Wagner (Univ. of Calif., Riverside) (table 7). Three nests had three worker combs, two of these also had a single primary reproductive-cell comb. Partial reproductive combs are often placed wherever space is available in the nest, even adjacent to the first worker comb; however, no reproductive cells have been found on worker combs.
“This species has a slightly shorter active season than V. atropilosa, the first workers appearing a week or so later and the last workers disappearing a couple of weeks before those of V. atropilosa” (R. E. Wagner, personal commun.).
Workers of V. sulphurea are attracted to heptyl butyrate, but other aspects of their behavior are unreported. Members of this species are not very abundant, and workers have not been reported as picnic pests.
Reprinted with permission from: Miller, C.D.F. 1961 Taxonomy and Distribution of Nearctic Vespula. The Canadian Entomologist Supplement 22.
Diagnostic Characters
Color.—Black with numerous yellow markings.
Structure.—Malar space less than half as long as the penultimate antennal segment (Fig. 1); occipital carina incomplete (Fig. 4); posterior side of second cubital cell of the forewing nearly twice as long as that of the third cubital cell (Fig. 10); male genitalia as in Fig. 18.
Abdominal Color Patterns.—as in Figs. 50, 53, 56.
Facial Color Pattern.—as in Fig. 79.
This Nearctic species is restricted almost entirely to the Upper Sonoran Fauna of California.
Discussion
The taxonomy of this species poses no problem. It is easily recognized and very restricted in its distribution.
Ecological Notes.—The nest of this species is recorded as terrestrial.
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