Evidence for sex attraction in yellowjacket wasps

The role of sex attractants in mate location of social wasps is still widely unknown. Yellowjackets (Vespidae: Vespinae) are of economic significance as beneficial predators of pest insects, pestiferous scavengers and as stinging hazards. The objective of this study was to demonstrate attraction of male yellowjacket wasps to queens. Live queen aerial yellowjackets, Dolicovespula arenaria (Fabricius), were placed in small cages and used as bait in a trapping experiment. Traps baited with a single caged D. arenaria queen caught a significant number of conspecific males while control traps caught none. The results of this experiment suggest that queens of this species use volatile chemicals to attract potential mates. The identification of the volatile chemicals responsible for male attraction could provide a better management tool for yellowjacket wasps.