Re: Bee Coloration - conspicuous warning or camouflage?

"Tlacatecatl" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Sat, 11 Oct 2003 5:17:27 -0700, Bill Angel wrote:

> One thing to consider is that wasps have two feeding "seasons". From spring
> to midsummer the nest is growing, and wasps are mostly after protein in the
> form of insects and other invertebrates, which they feed to the larvae. From
> midsummer through fall the nests stop growing and the emphasis shifts to
> finding sugars to maintain the queen and all of the workers, and so the wasps
> are mostly interested in fruits and other sugar sources.
>
> So if their coloration is for camouflage it would need to work in both
> instances. This might still be possible if the insects and invertebrates
> they're going after are mostly associated with fruits. I don't know enough
> about wasps to take this any further, but some of the resident entomologists
> probably do.
>

 I found a couple of  online  references that elaborate on the points that you made,
and also provide, I think, some additional info concerning ecology of the Yellowjacket:

 From: http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/occas/hornet_yellowjacket.htm

  "These wasps [Yellowjackets] perform a valuable service in destroying many insects
    that attack cultivated and ornamental plants"

 From: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Urban/horn-yj.htm

  " In spite of their reputations, hornets and yellowjackets are actually beneficial 
because
    they prey on many insects that we consider to be pests. They also serve as food for
    bears, skunks, birds, and other insects."

  So further investigations  into just  which "cultivated and ornamental plants" harbor
the insects that  Yellowjackets prey upon would clarify if the Yellowjacket's 
coloration
pattern helps to disguise their presence when foraging for those insects,
and as a consequence reduces  the likelyhood of attack from those animals
(most likely birds and insects) that prey upon Yellowjackets.

 --- Bill Angel
     Silver Spring, Maryland