Nesting Biology of a Forest Yellowjacket Vespula acadica (Sladen) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), in the Pacific Northwest1

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Abstract
Vespula acadica (Sladen) typically nests in decayed logs in heavily forested habitats. Many aspects of its biology are characteristic of the V. rufa (L.) species group: one worker-rearing comb, loose-weave network of the nest envelope, ribbonlike suspensoria above the top comb and cordlike pedicels between subsequent combs, short colony duration, small colony size, and foraging only for live prey. An ichneumonid parasitoid and vertebrate predators may have an important impact on V. acadica population dynamics, but the obligate social parasite, V. austriaca (Panzer), probably has a more serious effect on the host. Inquilines successfully usurped 7 of 17 postemergence colonies. Parasitized colonies were smaller than nonparasitized ones, and unlike typical V. acadica reproductive (large-cell) combs where both queens and males are reared, only V austriaca females were reared in the large cells. Parasite males emerged only from the worker-producing comb. Parasitized colonies began to decline earlier than most queen-right host colonies.

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