[8] Southern yellowjackets are typically found in the eastern United States and as far south as Mexico and Guatemala.

Within these territories, nests are typically found in unnatural habitats, such as yards, parks, and sides of roads.

One of the largest reported nests occupied a pine tree and the dirt underneath it.

Most nests have their maximum number of queen and worker combs between October and December, the end of the seasonal colony cycle.

As the season ends, the queen hibernates so she can, in many cases, begin a new colony the next year.

In other Vespula species, polygyny tends to be found in mild climates where the colony can last more than a year.

Given that many of this species live in temperate or subtropical environments, perennial nests have been observed.

As a result of the multiple queens and additional seasons and workers in perennial nests, these colonies tend to be much larger than their annual counterparts.

In a parasitic system, females lay eggs in a different species' nests, and in a polygynous system a female of the same species lays eggs in the nest in the hopes of overtaking the current queen.

[13] Being the sole reproductive female in the nest, the queen must mate, so these attraction pheromones are very important.

While all individuals have a distinctive marking on their scuta, workers, males, and queens all have different appearances.

[15] As a form of defense of their nests, southern yellowjacket workers use alarm pheromones to communicate with each other to coordinate an attack.

These behaviors are chemically mediated, and these alarm pheromones cause many social wasp species to leave the nest and attack whatever may be threatening it.

[4] Odors on objects or people attacked by V. squamosa differ from the previously isolated chemical alarm pheromone, N-3-methylbutylacetamide.

[16] This species is predatory and typically eats live insects, but they also feed on the flesh of deceased prey.

For larvae to grow into the pupal state, adult workers find prey and bring food back for them.

Evidence shows V. squamosa as a social parasite of V. vidua (ground hornet) and V. maculifrons (eastern yellowjacket).

[2] This species is currently abundant in urban areas, as their colonies tend to be found in unnatural environments (roadsides, wall voids, parks, etc.).

Because of this close proximity to humans and the size of the nests, this species is typically considered a pest.

The close interactions between southern yellowjackets and humans commonly lead to multiple, painful stings.