Wasps and hornets are flying insects that can be both beneficial to the environment and cause damage to homes. Although wasps and hornets are different species of pests, they are commonly associated together, and the same methods are used to get rid of both. Yellow jackets are among the most common species of wasps in the United States, along with paper wasps, red wasps, mud daubers, and ground wasps.
Wasps vary in appearance based on species but do share some common characteristics. Only one species of hornet, the European Hornet, lives in North America, while many species of wasps do. Use this guide to determine if you have wasps, hornets, or other pests around your home or office. Then, read our guide on how to get rid of wasps and hornets for treatment options.
Wasps range in size depending on their age and species. Wasps have 2 sets of wings and 6 legs. They have antennae and "pinched-in" or hourglass waists. They also have chewing mouthparts mandibles to chew prey and other food sources.
Most of them can. For the record, wasps and hornets are not the same thing. Additionally, hornets are social insects whereas wasps can be social or solitary, depending on the species.
Yellow jackets usually have yellow and black markings, though. Wasps also tend to range in size from a half inch to an inch long, although Troyano points out that yellow jackets tend to be shorter than paper wasps. Wasps like to build their nests in spots like eaves, gutters, voids, bushes, branches, and along fences, Ramsey says.
Wasps are predators, so they like meat, says Howard Russell, M. They means they also gravitate toward crumbs and spills from drinks, Ramsey says. But wasps also like plants and flowers. People tend to get stung when they either get too close to a nest or just happen to stumble into a wasp. However, if you gently brush a wasp away from you and walk away, it should leave you alone. Hornets—which include the freaky Asian giant hornet —tend to be the largest of these stinging insects.
The European hornet, a. Yellow jackets are commonly mistaken for bees because of their striped black-and-yellow markings. The major difference is that yellow jackets are smooth—never fuzzy or hairy like bees—and their yellow stripes tend to be brighter and shinier. Yellow jackets mostly live in the ground old rodent burrows are common homes or sometimes in stone walls and are very protective of their colony, often attacking if a person approaches even within a few feet of their nest or if a lawn mower makes a nearby sound or vibration.
Unfortunately, individual colonies can contain thousands of wasps which will swarm out of the nest when alarmed, making them very dangerous to humans and their pets. Note: Yellow jackets can become more problematic in late summer and early fall, as they start to crave more sugar and their normal sources of food become scarce.
This is often when you can find them lurking around picnics and garbage cans. Put lids on your trash cans and cover your sugary drinks! Hornets are a member of the wasp family not native to North America, but the European hornet can now be found throughout large parts of the United States, from the east coast to the Dakotas. With smooth, striped, black-and-yellow bodies, these insects look very similar to yellow jackets, making it hard to tell them apart. They differ from yellow jackets in that they usually nest in cavities at least six feet off the ground, such as the hollow of a tree, and never in the ground.
Unlike yellow jackets, European hornets will forage during the day or night, meaning that you can sometimes find them bumping off of porch lights. Unlike yellow jackets, these hornets are not aggressive unless disturbed, so leaving them alone is usually the best practice. However, if you have a European hornets nest in the exterior of your house, you should seek professional help. Do not block their entrances, as they can chew through wood to find another exit into your living space—making your problem much, much worse.
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