Sage Szkabarnicki-Stuart, Vespula alascensis, 2020
Vespula alascensis is considered by many to be a common pest, but it was only ‘discovered’ as a species in 2010. Before 2010 Vespula alascensis wasps were believed to be the Vespula vulgaris species, which is native to Europe and China. The two species look cosmetically similar but their reproductive organs and behaviors differ. These wasps are both predators and pollinators. They eat a diet of nectar from flowers, insects like flies, spiders, and caterpillars, and an array of human foods. Wasps are social insects with a caste system: in general, eggs laid at the bottom of the nest produce the prospective queens, with lower ranking workers being laid higher up in the nest. The queen of a colony will send out pheromones that signal her dominance to the other wasps and workers are known to lick their queen while feeding her.