[6] They are yellow in color and can be differentiated from the other yellow-colored wasps, such as D. adulterina, in its genus by the lack of black markings in the ocular sinus.

[6] Males can be identified by the larger antenna, spots on their basal band on terga 4 and 5 as well as an abdomen that ends with a flat "fuzzy butt" instead of a pointed stinger.

[4] A queen initiates a colony in the spring by choosing a site and building a small paper nest where it lays its eggs.

[8] Because yellow hornets generally locate their nests high in trees, their primary predators are fairly limited to birds and occasionally other wasps.

[4] D. arenaria workers are known to mostly prey on live arthropods of a wide variety such as grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, spiders, flies, lacewings, and even lady beetles (which are generally avoided by Vespula species).

[4] Unique to D. arenaria is the observed spraying of venom out of their stings that has been seen from workers in large colonies.

The "spray sting type", the term given to the venom-ejecting mechanism of these wasps, involves the contraction of the venom reservoir muscles.

[4] Female bee moths (Aphomia sociella) have also been known to lay their eggs in D. arenaria nests.

[12] The rates of S. v. burra parasitism are low and their existence within the nest does not appear to hinder colony development.