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This article was the subject of an educational assignment in Fall 2014. Further details were available on the "Education Program:Washington University in St. Louis/Behavioral Ecology (Fall 2013)" page, which is now unavailable on the wiki. |
Your article is really interesting and thorough! You have a lot of great information. However, the article contained a lot of grammar mistakes. I fixed a lot of subject-verb agreement mistakes and also added words where words were left out in sentences. I could not fix all of the sentences because the meanings were not clear and I did not want to change the intended meanings. I recommend that you go back through the article and make sure that all of your sentences are clear. I also removed a lot of short phrases such as "it was discovered that" and other such phrases since they seemed unnecessary. Lastly, I linked your article to the page about the hoverfly Volucella pellucens in your predators section. Overall, great job!!! Three is me (talk) 02:49, 24 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Nice article! I made some changes to the structures of your sentences in the beginning sections as many contained run-ons. Also I added spaces between some words (especially after a word had been italicized). I would suggest that for the colony cycle you change the lists of the different stages into a paragraph form. This makes it easier to read than having to go through an entire list and it is easy to convert what you have into a well-written succinct paragraph. Also you could break up the nest foundation section up into two sections as this is a really long section. Otherwise, you did a really nice job I just made a few changes to the grammar and spelling of words in the other sections. Amy Krause ( Amy Krause) — Preceding undated comment added 16:44, 23 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]
In this article, I found it especially interesting how the wasps ensure that only
the queen's larvae mature to adulthood by removing the larvae produced by workers. One category that should be included in the article is parental investment for the wasps. This category would include how much energy the queen wasp initially puts into feeding the larvae and how many larvae she will tend to at a specific time. The category would focus only on the amount of investment the queen wasp makes on the larvae, as an additional section would be the sexual conflict over who should rear the larvae once enough workers are introduced.
( Amy Krause (talk) 15:56, 11 September 2014 (UTC))[reply]
I particularly found it interesting that this article explains how the members of the nest interact with each other, providing relevant information on the interaction and cooperation of sterile workers and the queen. But, I also think this article could also benefit from additional categories. For example, a section on sexes and casts could be useful to explain the sex ratio of offspring and explain the evolution of sterile workers. Another interesting section could relate to the evolutionary history of the species, this could include hypothesizes on why the hive has sterile workers and why colonies only last one year. Finally, another relevant section could detail defensive strategies of the organism, explaining how this wasp defends its nest from predators using a communal defense system. Adding these topics could really benefit the completeness of this article.
(Amanda.Kalupa (talk) 20:13, 11 September 2014 (UTC))[reply]
There is a common belief that wasps sting humans for no reason and are naturally aggressive. Can anyone prove or deny this? TomGreen 08:10, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
I noticed that it comments that "Common wasps are colloquially known as "jaspers" in south eastern England and more commonly the English Midlands," yet I've lived in the midlands all my life and never heard anyone use the term Jasper. Could a citation be given?--80.4.79.203 (talk)
I second this. I have lived in the midlands have never even heard the term. 'wabbies' sometimes....Here is a discussion about the term http://www.qi.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=5796&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 But I don't think people can decide maybe it is an age thing or very localised in teh same areas. Rovastar (talk) 00:50, 18 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]
This is a common phrase in northern Lincolnshire, I don't know about anywhere else. Tom Green (talk) 15:22, 8 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Me too. I live around the midlands and I have never even heard wasps called this. Alicianpig (talk) 06:03, 15 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I can't speak for the Midlands, but I grew up in the south of England (Dorset, to be precise), and often heard children at my school call them jaspers. I haven't heard it used much since then, so I don't know if it has gone out of fasion, or was a very local term, or if it is primarily a school-child's name. I did see a yellow-and-black striped boat in Poole Harbour a few times called Jasper though. Wardog (talk) 21:47, 20 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I've seen plenty of open, hexagonal-celled paper nests hanging from walls and roofs, but I've seen wasps going in and out of little holes in the ground, so I have to ask, the article says their nests are exclusively underground, but I believe that to be mistaken. 75.157.120.15 (talk) 03:54, 2 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I thought you did a really great job discussing the life cycle and gender ratios of this wasp. You do a great job of explaining the interactions of nest members, particularly between sterile workers and the queen. I also like your sections about distribution and habitat – they are clear and concise, and the picture really completes the topic. One thing that would be interesting to add to your discussion, however, would be why this wasp has a one-year colony cycle and so many sterile workers. Additionally, I think talking more about how your wasp is a pest would make your article better. How does it interact with the native species that displaces other than by competing for resources? How is this wasp introduced as a pest species? Overall, great job! 128.252.25.2 (talk) 04:26, 21 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The article states that what North Americans have been calling the common yellowjacket is actually a separate species now know as Vespula alascensis. Because of this discovery it is unclear if all references to Vespula vulgaris in North America are actually examples of Vespula alascensis or if both species are present on the continent. I have noticed that Bugguide.net no longer list Vespula vulgaris in it's guide, suggesting its the former. Weebro55 (talk) 20:41, 2 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]
It is mentioned in the lead that Vespula alascensis was until recently confused with Vespula vulgaris. This fact is repeated several more times within the text without expanding on the issue. Surely once is quite enough. Can we trim out the repetition. Rincewind42 (talk) 15:22, 29 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]
The description of life cycle (shown below) mentions specific calendar months - but i suspect the months will vary depending on northern / southern hemisphere, distance from the equator, local climate influences, etc. Can we adjust the wording? Snu7 (talk) 13:37, 13 September 2018 (UTC)[reply]
″Five distinguishable stages occur in V. vulgaris colony cycle. Each lasts for similar periods, around 30–35 days. The colony starts in April as the queen begins the foundation of the nest and degenerates around October when the temperature drops and the queen dies"
This section is misleading. It talks about queen competition and a single queen cell. The source [10] is 60 years old and probably wrong. Any objections to my editing? Wportre (talk) 07:36, 2 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]