Subfamily Vespinae
Introduction
This subfamily is represented in Australia by only two introduced species of the genus, Vespula, that have become established and are spreading throughout eastern Australia. They cause concern on medical grounds (there is a risk of severe allergic reaction to the sting) and on economic grounds (damage to hives of honey bees and to fruit). Both species are established in Tasmania and only one in eastern Australia.
These species are eusocial with an egg-laying queen with many thousands of sterile workers in each mature colony. The nest is founded by a single queen usually underground but sometimes in artificial cavities above ground such as in trees or buildings. Nests consist of paper comb surrounded by an envelope with an entrance at the bottom. Adult wasps collect carbohydrates from blossoms and fruit and obtain protein mostly in from insect larvae, honey bees and flies or occasionally from meat or carcasses. Food is masticated and fed progressively to the larvae (Richards 1978; Naumann 1991).
Carpenter (1987) analysed the phylogenetic relationships of the Vespinae and Carpenter & Kojima (1997) provided a checklist of the species with distributional summaries and synonyms. An overview of the biology of the vespines was given by Matsuura & Yamane (1984) and of vespine ethology by Matsuura (1984).
General References
Carpenter, J.M. 1987. Phylogenetic relationships and classification of the Vespinae (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Systematic Entomology 12: 413-431
Carpenter, J.M. & Kojima, J. 1997. Checklist of the species in the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Natural History Bulletin of Ibaraki University 1: 51-92
Matsuura, M. 1984. Comparative Ethology of the Vespine Wasps. Sapporo : Hokkaido University Press 428 pp.
Matsuura, M. & Yamane, S. 1984. Biology of the Vespine Wasps. Berlin : Springer-Verlag xix 323 pp.
Naumann, I.D. 1991. Hymenoptera. pp. 916-1000 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press Vol. 2 pp. 543-1137
Richards, O.W. 1978. The Australian social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 61: 1-132