Yellow Jacket
Catskill Mountains, N.Y., U.S.A.
October 2008 – Olympus 510
Yellowjackets are social hunters living in colonies containing workers, queens and males. Colonies are annual with only inseminated queens overwintering. Fertilized queens occur in protected places as hollow logs, in stumps, under bark, in leaf litter, in soil cavities and human-made structures. Queens emerge during the warm days of late spring or early summer, select a nest site and build a small paper nest in which eggs are laid. After eggs hatch from the 30 to 50 brood cells, the queen feeds the young larvae for about 18 to 20 days. Larvae pupate, emerging later as small, infertile females called workers. By mid-summer, the first adult workers emerge and assume the tasks of nest expansion, foraging for food, care of the queen and larvae, and colony defense.
From this time until her death in the autumn, the queen remains inside the nest laying eggs. The colony then expands rapidly reaching a maximum size of 4,000 and 5,000 workers and a nest of 10,000 and 15,000 cells in late summer. At peak size, reproductive cells are built with new males and queens produced. Adult reproductives remain in the nest fed by the workers. New queens build up fat reserves to overwinter. Adult reproductives leave the parent colony to mate. After mating, males quickly die while fertilized queens seek protected places to overwinter. Parent colony workers dwindle, usually leaving the nest and die, as does the foundress queen. Abandoned nests rapidly decompose and disintegrate during the winter but can persist as long as they are kept dry but are rarely used again.
In the spring, the cycle is repeated. (Weather in the spring is the most important factor in colony establishment.) Although adults feed primarily on items rich in sugars and carbohydrates (fruits, flower nectar and tree sap), the larvae feed on proteins (insects, meats, fish, etc.). Adult workers chew and condition the meat fed to the larvae. Larvae in return secrete a sugar material relished by the adults, an exchange of material known as trophallaxis. In late summer, foraging workers (nuisance scavengers) change their food preference from meats to ripe, decaying fruits or scavenge human garbage, sodas, picnics, etc., since larvae in the nest fail to meet requirements as a source of sugar.
Although they lack the pollen-carrying structures of bees, yellowjackets can be minor pollinators when visiting . (wiki)


Yellow Jacket belongs to the following groups:
Bee & Wasp Passions Available for sale asGreeting Cards and Matted Prints

dinghysailor1
amazing!!!!
Marleia Main replied
Hey you : )) You always put a smile on my face. Someday I will have to take a long vacation to visit my friends in far away places .. Thank you so much : ))))
blamo
Thats incredible
Marleia Main replied
Thank you so much : )) I went to the Catskill Mountains to look at the tree’s changing color but it was pretty overcast soooo I found Insects instead! : )))
Visual Inspi...
Gorgeous find!! ;-) rhonda
Marleia Main replied
Hi Rhonda : )) Thank you so very much : ))
Rosie Appleton
Beautiful and sharp, well done!!!
Marleia Main replied
Hello Rosie : ) Thank you for commenting!!
CarolM
Oh Marleia, you are so good at capturing these macros. Wow, this one is amazing. He is even cute. Excellent. As good as National Geographic.
Marleia Main replied
Hi Carol : )) You are so sweet!! Thank you very much!! I try to find Insects/Spiders cute side so people wont hate them so much and maybe try to coexist with them. I really love my bugs : ))
dancinfreakshow
Wow, That is incredible!!!!
Marleia Main replied
Hey you!! Thank you so very much for the comment : ))))
Christopher Bi...
miss mar, you have produced a fantastic shot here…c xx
Marleia Main replied
Hello Naughty Scallop eater : )) Thank you so much for the comment you : ))))
Linda Sannuti
Awesome!
Marleia Main replied
Hello Linda: ) Thank you so much for commenting : ))
melant1017
Yes, this is still an excellent macro, I love it :) WELL DONE!!!
-Antonio
Marleia Main replied
Hello Antonio .. 2nd time’s a charm ; ) Thank you for not giving up on my uploading skills : ))) Thank you for the comment!!
Sharon Perrett
Seunning macro, perfect clarity
Sharon Perrett
oops stunning macro :))
Marleia Main replied
Hi Sharon : )) Thank you so much!! I really appreciate the comment : )))
Kevin Kroeker
Wow!! That’s amazing! Your macro work is fasinating!!!
Marleia Main replied
Hello Kevin .. Thank you so much for your Really lovely comment!!
pryere
Superb, love it.
Marleia Main replied
Hello pryere : )) Thank you so very much : ))
Pete Costick
Wonderful macro Marleia, did you find any spiders in the nountains too? Pete :)
Marleia Main replied
Hello There mister!! : )) I will be finding Spiders tomorrow .. I found a few small ones today but not bubble worthy : ( Very cute but not good enough for your awesome group. Tomorrow!! Thank you for your comment : )))
Christopher Bi...
you make me smile and laugh! thanks….c xx
Marleia Main replied
You always put a smile on my face too : ))))) see?
Marleia Main
Hello There mister!! : )) I will be finding Spiders tomorrow .. I found a few small ones today but not bubble worthy : ( Very cute but not good enough for your awesome group. Tomorrow!! Thank you for your comment : )))
MICKSPIXPHOTOS
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING MACRO CAPTURE. WONDERFUL IMAGE.
Marleia Main replied
Hello Mick!! Thank you so much for commenting!!
Charles Dobbs ...
Yep…another awesome shot Marleia!
Marleia Main replied
Hello Charles!! Thank you so much!!! Thank you!!! Another feature!! WooHooo!! : ))))
Marleia Main
Hello Charles!! Thank you so much!!! Thank you!!! Another feature!! WooHooo!! : ))))
monaiman
Wow that’s cute at the same time amazing !!!
Marleia Main replied
Hello : )) Thank you for the wonderful comment : ))
flyfish70
Marleia you have a new name!!!!!! Goddess of macro lol!!!!!!! Your macro blows me away and this photo is right on with your other work!!!!!! Awesome capture!!!!!!!
Marleia Main replied
Hello again : )) Wow Thank you!! Goddess?? .. Hmmmm I like that : )) lol Thank you so very much again!!
Kazzoom IPA
oh wow awesome
Marleia Main replied
Thank you so very, very much Kazz!!
Sharon Robertson
Another great shot Marleia :-)
Marleia Main replied
Hello Sharon : )) Thank you : ) Thank you : )))))
Diane Schuster
He looks as if he’s hanging on for dear life, Wonderful!
Marleia Main replied
Hi dolphindancer : )) Yes I think he was .. After this shot He gave up and flew on to my shirt and hung out for a while soaking up the sun while I took more pictures of other bee’s: )) Thank you so much for the comment : ))
barnsis
WOW I am impressed, this is stunning in clarity and detail Amazing macro
Marleia Main replied
Hi Byron!! Thank you!! That means so much to me!!! : ))))
CarolM
I’m not at all surprised that you have been featured with this great macro. I commented on it just a day or so ago. It’s a perfect image. Congratulations.
Marleia Main replied
Thank you so much Carol!!!! : )))))) You are sweet to notice : ))))
Antanas
Great capture
Marleia Main replied
Hello Antanas : )) Thank you so very much for your comment!!
greenpeg
wow…....fantastic marco…......
Marleia Main replied
Hey new avatar!! Cool I like it : )) Thank you so much for commenting!!
clickychick
amazing macro, wonderful detail and I love that you can see the little fella’s face so clearly.
Marleia Main replied
Hi Sarah : )) Thank you so very much!! I really appreciate it!!!!
jesika
Wasps are so very photogenic. He’s a little poser. You have captured this one perfectly, super shot.
j
Marleia Main replied
Hi Jesika : )) Thank you, Thank you!! He was a cutie and photogenic!! Only got 1 shot before he flew onto my arm to rest in the sun. The other wasp I took about 50 pictures of .. He was a real “ham”!!! Thank you again : )))
jacqi
oops! sorry! please delete the Antonio bit from your mind, getting confused and easily done when half asleep still!
Marleia Main replied
Hello Jacqi : )) Thank you so much for the comment .. I did that once too .. it is hard to bubble when you get tired!! I do appreciate your comments .. Thank you so much!! : ))))))))
MDossat
Great macro of a yellow jacket. I see a bee and run the other way. LOL!
Marleia Main replied
Hello : )) Thank you so much!! I love Bee’s .. They land on me all the time.. No stinging .. No need to run away lol!! : )))))))
Yool
Stunning!!!
Marleia Main replied
Thank you Yool!! That means so much coming from you : ))))))
Nic Relton
Good advice! This is really nice and sharp!
Marleia Main replied
Hello Mr. Relton : ) Thank you ; )
Carol Barona
WOW, THIS IS AWESOME – STRAIGHT TO THE FAVS…
Marleia Main replied
Hello Carol : )) Thank you so very much : ))
SandraRos
Every time you post a new macro shot I think “This is the best I have ever seen” ! You just keep on blowing me away with your macro photography !
Marleia Main replied
Hello Sandra .. Thank you so much .. you leave the sweetest comments .. Thank you, Thank you!! : ))))))
Karen Zimmerman
What a cutie! Great capture!
Marleia Main replied
Hello Karen : )) Thank you so very much : ))))
Chris Snyder
What a fantastic macro!! Great title.
Marleia Main replied
Hello Chris : ) Thank you so much for your comment : ))
Jeannette Sheehy
love this photo! his antennae are all wonky – gives him a cute look :)
Marleia Main replied
Hey you .. I missed this one!! Thank you so very much : ))))
Jennifer Potter
Love the fuzzy face! Great shot Marleia!
Marleia Main replied
Oh Thank you so much Dawn : ))
SylviaHardy
Superb work Marleia!
Marleia Main replied
Bee’s are so cool too!! This guy was sweet!! Thank you so very much : ))
Karen Kaleta
This is the coolest shot!
Marleia Main replied
Hello MountainLover : )) Thank you so very much for commenting: ))))
Ryan Green
your work is great, you present all these little creatures fantasticly…. cant wait to see more…..
Marleia Main replied
Thank you so much ryan .. What a sweet comment : ))
Chet King
One amazing macro. Great gallery. Do you market your macro images?
Marleia Main replied
Hi Chet :) Not really .. I just sell them here on Redbubble .. I might look into it .. Any idea’s or suggestions? Thank you so much :)
Edyta Pelc
love it!
Marleia Main replied
Thank you so very much Edyta :)