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Animal Themes
Insects
Invertebrates

Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   9.41

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    hideout, outdoor, sterile, venomous, mating, worldwide, therefore, occasionally, cases, social, hence, newcomer, pollen, running, offspring, actually

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Other Languages
     Spanish: Las Avispas Amarillas

Yellowjackets   
1     In the summertime, outdoor barbecue is always a popular activity. Yet, occasionally, just when we get the grill going and the delicious aroma starts to make our stomachs growl, an unpleasant guest arrives unannounced and uninvited. The newcomer, wearing a yellow-and-black outfit and measuring merely about an inch long, disrupts our joyful mood and makes us scream and run for cover. Why are we scared of such a tiny creature? Well, that is because it can sting repeatedly, and its venomous sting inflicts pain and may cause serious allergic reaction.
 
2     Do you know what this animal is? That's right; it's a yellowjacket.
 
3     Though often mistaken for bees, yellowjackets are wasps. While the two insects look alike, they bear enough differences for them to be categorized into separate families. For example, when threatened, yellowjackets can strike with their stingers many times, whereas bees can only afford to do so once. Additionally, yellowjackets feed their young with insects and spiders, but bees prefer to nourish their offspring with pollen and honey.

Paragraphs 4 to 7:
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