Another Polistes paper wasp, and the most vibrantly colorful one seen in these parts: P. exclamans.
Here’s another look at our P. dominula nest three days after the photos put up yesterday.
Now for some ground yellowjackets. Vespula maculifons above. The gynes, females who mated last year, are now searching for places to start their nests. As “ground yellowjackets” suggests, they often go underground.
This one was exploring the space under this grating, while a much larger Bombus was doing the same.
And here’s a Vespula germanica checking out a hole, one I’ve been wondering about myself. She didn’t go very far in.
Backyard and Beyond 
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