Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
Facts About a Yellow Jacket's Life Span
Facts About a Yellow Jacket's Life Span. Yellow jackets are wasps that have black ad yellow stripes, which often causes people to confuse them with bees such as hornets. Their diets include meat, grubs, insects, sweets and other human foods. Yellow jackets can become pests if nested near homes or other inhabited spaces, as they mate quickly and...
Yellow jackets are wasps that have black ad yellow stripes, which often causes people to confuse them with bees such as hornets. Their diets include meat, grubs, insects, sweets and other human foods. Yellow jackets can become pests if nested near homes or other inhabited spaces, as they mate quickly and form large hives. The life span of a yellow jacket is interesting and is designed to reproduce rapidly and efficiently.
Lifecycle Begins in Winter
In winter, the yellow jacket hibernates after fertilization. The queen will hibernate until spring, choosing a location to remain dormant until then. Usually she will choose a place in natural materials such as old logs, trees or man-made structures such as barns and attics. Although the queen will live up to 12 months, the workers only live from 10 to 22 days.
In Spring Come the Eggs
Once spring has arrived, the queen will begin building her nest. She will gather plant fibers and construct a nest by chewing the fibers into a paper-like material. Once the nest is ready for larva, she will lay her eggs and care for them by feeding them regularly. Yellow jacket larva eat insects and meat. The queen will continue to lay eggs over time, and the early larva will reach adulthood and assist her in caring for the other larva.
Adulthood
The yellow jacket larva that can reproduce are laid around August and September. These larva, once they reach adulthood, will leave the nest to begin the reproduction cycle. The females will live after fertilization to build the nest and lay the larva the next spring. The males will die after the females have been fertilized.
Identifying Characteristics
Yellow jackets are small bees that resemble honey bees. They are small in size, approximately 3/4 inch and 0.8 grams. They are colonial bees; some colonies can reach up to 5,000 bees at one time. Although usually yellow and black, they can also be black and white. They have transparent wings and a stinger at the base of their abdomen. Yellow jackets can be aggressive and sting more than once.
