It's a North American thing. Here, "wasp" tends colloquially to be a generic term for any wasp other than yellowjackets and hornets. Calling a hornet a wasp is like calling a bishop a priest; so too with yellowjackets, but obviously not due to their size. They stand out for their behavior: a notable attraction to human food in late summer and fall and being boldly in your face about it (and anything else, for that matter), and for being extraordinarily eusocial, nesting in swarms that can get really big given the chance. Few other wasps share these traits, and those that do pale in degree. Walk into their territory and you will be closely investigated, and could be attacked en masse; most other wasps are more likely to mind their own business. Yellowjackets are aggressively curious, but they're unlikely to actually attack so long as you stay cool and respectful around them; still, in the end it's always a gamble. I've never been stung by one yet, but I count myself more lucky than adept. Yellowjackets, especially in groups, are far more a hazard than any other wasp I've met regionally, so having a special name for them makes all the sense in the world to me. One might color one's speech with them:benhall.1 wrote:We don't have "yellowjackets" round these 'ere parts.
"Man, but the cops have been zooming around all day. It's like yellowjackets on a pizza."
"A picturesque analogy. As you might know, His Grace the Grand High Pooh-Bah is in town to make a speech, so they've heightened the security."
"Ah, right. I guess that explains the display. One Pooh-Bah, and everyone loses their minds."
