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yellow jacket

/ˌjɛloʊ ˈdʒækət/
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Other forms: yellow jackets

A yellow jacket is a black and yellow wasp. If you see this buzzing insect flying around, keep your distance — yellow jackets sting!

Yellow jackets are approximately the same size as bees, with similar markings and colors. But while bees are fuzzy, their bodies covered in fine hairs, yellow jackets are sleek and smooth-bodied. And unlike bees, most of which can only sting once, yellow jackets sting repeatedly with their barbed stingers. Don't hate yellow jackets, though; these buzzy insects play an important role in our ecosystem, preying on pests that are harmful to agricultural crops.

Definitions of yellow jacket
  1. noun
    small yellow-marked social wasp commonly nesting in the ground
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    type of:
    hornet
    a large flying insect with a painful sting
  2. noun
    a barbiturate (trade name Nembutal) used as a sedative and hypnotic and antispasmodic
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    type of:
    barbiturate
    organic compound having powerful soporific effect; overdose can be fatal
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