{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "yellowjacket",
  "name": "Yellowjacket",
  "scientificName": "Vespula vulgaris",
  "category": "Insect",
  "summary": "A yellowjacket is a black-and-yellow social wasp that lives in large paper nests ruled by a queen. Unlike bees, it can sting repeatedly. Yellowjackets are useful predators of pest insects but become aggressive scavengers in late summer. Workers live only weeks; the queen survives to start a new colony.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Arthropoda",
    "class": "Insecta",
    "order": "Hymenoptera",
    "family": "Vespidae",
    "genus": null
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.00004,
    "lengthM": 0.014,
    "topSpeedKmh": 30,
    "lifespanYears": 1
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Vespula spp. and Dolichovespula spp."
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Omnivore (insects, nectar, human food)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Woodlands, gardens, and urban areas"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "Workers a few weeks; queens about one year"
    },
    {
      "label": "Length",
      "value": "10–16 mm (0.4–0.6 in)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Colony size",
      "value": "Hundreds to thousands of wasps"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Woodlands, gardens, and urban areas across the Northern Hemisphere; introduced to other regions.",
    "continents": [
      "North America",
      "Europe",
      "Asia"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Vespula vulgaris.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Vespula%20vulgaris&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Vespula vulgaris. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vespula_vulgaris/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Wikipedia — Yellowjacket.",
      "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespula_vulgaris"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/yellowjacket/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/yellowjacket/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}