Identification of Common Wasps

Social Wasps

Yellowjackets (Vespula spp. and Dolichovespula spp.)

• Yellowjackets are small, stout wasps about 0.5 of an inch long, with black and yellow banding
• Queens are larger, reaching 0.75 of an inch
• Ground-nesting yellowjackets (Vespula spp.) build nests below ground, often in old rodent burrows
• Aerial-nesting yellowjackets (Dolichovespula spp.) build exposed paper nests in trees, shrubs or structures such as eaves or attics

Bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculata)

• Despite their name, bald-faced hornets are a type of yellowjacket
• Black with white or creamy markings on the face and end of the abdomen
• Large, robust body (up to 0.875 of an inch long)
• Build large, enclosed aerial nests (up to 2 feet wide) from chewed wood pulp
• Aggressive and capable of stinging repeatedly

Paper wasps (Polistes spp.)

• Paper wasps are slender, with long legs and a more tapered body compared to yellowjackets
• Size: 0.75 to 1 inch
• Color: Typically reddish-brown with yellow markings
• Build open, umbrella-shaped nests with a single comb suspended by a stalk
• Less aggressive unless provoked

Solitary Wasps

Wasps / Thread-waisted wasps (Sphecidae)

• Range from 0.75 to 2 inches long
• Distinct narrow waists; bodies are often black with yellow, red or white markings
• Females excavate ground nests and provision them with paralyzed prey (such as grasshoppers or crickets)
• Adults feed on nectar

Cicada killers (Sphecius speciosus)

• Large wasps, 1.125 to 1.625 inches long
• Black and yellow markings with rusty-red thorax and brownish wings
• Prefer dry, sandy soil with sparse vegetation for nesting
• Females paralyze cicadas for larval food
• Adults feed on nectar and overwinter as larvae in soil

Sand wasps (Bembix spp.)

• Stout-bodied with pale greenish-yellow and black markings
• Females dig short burrows in sunny, sandy soil
• Prey mainly on flies for larval food
• Not aggressive; sting only if disturbed

Mud daubers (Sceliphron spp., Chalybion spp.)

• Slender body with a long, thread-like waist
• Color varies: metallic blue (blue mud dauber), black and yellow (black-and-yellow mud dauber), or solid black (organ-pipe mud dauber)
• Females construct mud nests on walls or under eaves
• Provision nests with spiders for their larvae

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