How is a "European yellow jacket" different from a yellow jacket?

[vespa_bicolor]

Hi,
Don't mean to crash this thread, but just thought it a better place to post, rather than opening a new one all over, since I just got this pic uploaded.
A recent pic I took of Vespa velutina. This is a hornet distributed over much of East and Southeast Asia. I don't think it's nearly as big as Vespa crabro though!! (22 mm body length on average)

 

[Malkavian]

http://arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=30113

Here's a picture of what i believe to be a european hornet, found in western NC a month or two ago

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

Vespula vulgaris has a black, T-shaped marking on the yellow plate between its eyes,
while V. germanica mostly has three small, well defined dots between the eyes

so they are quite easy to be distinguished.

at least if the specimen is dead