Introduction

Get a close-up look at yellow jackets and their behavior, and find out why pharmaceutical companies need yellow jacket venom.

Students are introduced to yellow jackets. These insects build nests using wood pulp. They ingest huge quantities of flies and other pests. In addition, yellow jackets can be collected to create vaccines for people highly allergic to their stings.

Length: 7:44 Grade level: 4-7

Teaching Objectives

The "Tiny Creatures: Yellow Jackets" video program and curriculum guide provide opportunities for students to learn:

1. The structure of a yellow jacket nest, both suspended on buildings and underground.
2. The life cycle of the yellow jacket.
3. Predator/prey relationships for yellow jackets.
4. How yellow jackets are used to develop vaccines for humans.

Web Resources

• Enchanted Learning: Yellow Jacket Print Out
  
• Enchanted Learning: Wasp Print Out
  
• Bee and Wasp Stings
  
• Yellow Jackets and Other Social Wasps
  
• Wasp Behavior Video Clips (Apple Quicktime video):
  Chewing
  Fighting
  Food Sharing
  Laying Eggs
  Lunging
  Nest Building
  
• Greensmiths.com: All About Bees, Wasps and More
  

Print Resources

About Yellow Jackets:

Wilson, Edward Osborne. The Insect Societies. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971.

About Insects:

Baker, Wendy and Andrew Haslam. Insects. Thomson Learning, 1993.

Borror, Donald J. and Richard E. White. A Field Guide to Insects. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1970.

Callahan, Philip S. Insects and How They Function. Holiday House, 1971.

Facklam, Howard and Margery. Insects. Twenty-First Century Books, 1994.

Greenaway, Theresa. Insects. St. Martin's Press, 2000.

Preston-Mafham, Rod and Ken Preston-Mafham. The Natural History of Insects. The Crowood Press, 1996.

Souza, D. M. Insects Around the House. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1991.

Souza, D. M. Insects in the Garden. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1991.

Wilsdon, Christina. First Field Guide Insects. Scholastic, Inc., 1998.

Wilson, Edward O. The Insect Societies. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1971.

Glossary

larvae: immature, wingless and often worm-like feeding form that hatches from the egg of many insects

mandible: mouth part used to hold or bite food; strong biting jaws

nest: a specially modified structure serving as an abode of animals

queen: the fertile, fully developed female of social bees, ants and termites

sting: to pierce painfully with a poisonous or irritating process

vaccine: a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease

venom: poisonous matter secreted by animals

worker: any of the sexually underdeveloped and usually sterile members of a colony of social ants, bees, wasps or termites that perform most of the labor and protective duties of the colony

Activities