A Nest of Dolichovespula maculata (l.) Usurped by Vespula squamosa (Drury) (Hymenoptera:Vespidae)1

Abstract

The southern yellowjacket, Vespula squamosa (Drury), was initially reported to be a facultative temporary social parasite by Taylor (1939), who found a queen in a nest of Vespula vidua (Saussure). Later, Mac Donald and Matthews (1975, 1984) found Vespula squamosa to be a frequent facultative parasite of Vespula maculifrons (du Buysson). These authors also mentioned one case of a nest of Vespula flavopilosa Jacobson usurped by a queen of Vespula squamosa. Other hosts of Vespula squamosa include Vespula germanica (Fabr.) and the much-larger hornet, Vespa crabro L. (Greene, 1991). We now report on the Baldfaced Hornet, Dolichovespula maculata (L.), as a new intergeneric host for Vespula squamosa.