Color Preference of Vespula squamosa12

Translucent, white plastic wet traps containing a 1:1 volumetric mixture of heptyl butyrate and octyl butyrate and painted buttercup yellow captured significantly more Vespula squamosa (Drury) from Jan. to Sept., whereas traps painted saturn yellow captured significantly more yellowjackets from Oct. to Dec. than unpainted traps or traps painted other colors. The reflected light determined by regression analysis (r = 0.95) to be the most attractive to the yellowjackets during Jan.–Sept. was in the 590 nm region; it was 520 nm from Oct. to Dec. We therefore concluded that V. squamosa distinguish yellow-orange and green colors.