Optimizing Oracle Performance

Colophon

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The animals on the cover of Optimizing Oracle Performance are yellowjackets. Though frequently mistaken for bees, yellowjackets are a type of wasp. They can be distinguished from bees by their lack of hair. They also often have brighter black and yellow coloring on their tails. Yellowjackets are around half an inch long, and the queen is about three-quarters of an inch long. They can be found throughout North America. Wasps build nests by chewing bits of wood and leaves into a paper-like pulp. The nest is built in a dry, protected place such as a tree, log, shrub, or hole in the ground, or attached to a building.

Yellowjackets live in large colonies comprising a queen, female workers, and males. In the spring, the queen, who is the only yellowjacket that breeds, builds a small nest and lays eggs. When they hatch, the female workers expand the nest, look for food, and take care of the queen and the colony. The males fertilize the queen, who continues to lay eggs and expand the colony. In the winter, all yellowjackets except the queen die.

Yellowjackets are scavengers. They eat other insects, rotting fruit, and garbage. They are often considered to be pests because they are attracted to the food at picnics. Yellowjackets can sting repeatedly. ...