Annual-colony
Guides
Bombus huntii
Hunt's Bumble Bee, Hunt Bumblebee
Bombus huntii is a native western North American bumble bee with a broad range spanning western Canada to the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The species occupies diverse habitats from desert scrub to high-elevation pine ecosystems and has been documented foraging on at least eight plant genera. While populations have declined, it remains among the more common bumble bees in western North America. Its genome was sequenced as part of the Beenome100 project.
Bombus ternarius
Tricolored Bumble Bee, Orange-belted Bumblebee
Bombus ternarius is a small, slender bumblebee distinguished by its striking tricolor pattern of yellow, orange, and black bands. It is a ground-nesting, eusocial species with an annual colony cycle lasting one season. The species is common throughout the northeastern United States and much of Canada, where it serves as an important pollinator of native plants including Rubus, goldenrods, Vaccinium, and milkweeds.
Dolichovespula maculata
Bald-faced Hornet, Bald Hornet, White-faced Hornet, White-tailed Hornet, Spruce Wasp, Blackjacket, Bull Wasp
Dolichovespula maculata is a social wasp native to North America, commonly known as the bald-faced hornet despite being a yellowjacket rather than a true hornet (genus Vespa). It constructs large, enclosed paper nests suspended from branches or structures, with colonies reaching 400–700 workers—the largest recorded in its genus. The species is immediately recognizable by its black body with white facial markings and white banding at the abdomen tip. Workers are aggressively defensive of their nests and can spray venom toward intruders.
Polistes dorsalis californicus
California Paper Wasp
Polistes dorsalis californicus is a subspecies of paper wasp endemic to California, described by Bohart in 1949. As a member of the genus Polistes, it constructs open-faced paper nests from chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva. The species exhibits typical paper wasp social structure with small colonies founded by overwintering queens in spring. Like other Polistes, it functions as both a predator of caterpillars and a pollinator of flowering plants.
Vespula atropilosa
Prairie Yellowjacket
Vespula atropilosa, the prairie yellowjacket, is a social wasp native to western North America. It forms annual underground colonies in prairie and grassland habitats, typically nesting in abandoned rodent burrows. Unlike scavenging yellowjackets, it is strictly predatory, hunting live insects to feed its larvae. The species exhibits male color polymorphism with xanthic (yellow) and melanic (black) abdominal variants.
Vespula maculifrons
Eastern yellowjacket, Eastern yellow jacket
Vespula maculifrons is a social wasp native to eastern North America, commonly known as the Eastern yellowjacket. It is among the most aggressive stinging insects in its range, known for vigorously defending nests and delivering painful stings with minimal provocation. Colonies are typically founded by a single queen in spring and can grow to contain thousands of workers by late summer. The species is polyandrous, with females mating with multiple males, and exhibits cooperative colony dynamics without significant reproductive conflict among patrilines.