Summer is here, bringing with it plenty of sun and chances to enjoy the great outdoors. Whether your Forsyth, Georgia, summer involves pool parties and cookouts or hitting the water at High Falls or Lake Juliette, summer is an excellent time for an outdoor gathering. And while “the more, the merrier” is usually the motto for summer get-togethers, there are a few common party crashers your festivities can do without: wasps and yellow jackets.
Both of these insects reach the height of their activity during the summer months, and both can deliver painful stings that can cause reactions ranging from mild irritation at the sting site to anaphylaxis and even death.
This month, we’ll examine these two types of stinging insects and answer the question: Yellow jacket vs. wasp—what’s the difference?
Yellow Jacket vs. Wasp: What Are They?
“Wasp” is a broad term that includes a wide variety of insects, including yellow jackets. In fact, all yellow jackets and hornets belong to the Vespidae family of wasps, along with the other common wasps that inhabit Georgia.
All Vespidae wasps (including yellow jackets) have a few things in common:
- They live in colonies, similar to bee colonies, with a queen and a number of female workers and male drones
- They build nests out of mud or “paper” made from chewed plant fibers
- They are capable of stinging prey or threats to their colony with smooth stingers that allow a wasp to sting multiple times, unlike many bees
While all yellow jackets are wasps, throughout the rest of this article, “wasp” refers to the two species most commonly referred to as “wasps” by Georgians: the red paper wasp and the European paper wasp.
Yellow Jacket vs. Wasp: Where Do They Live?
The first and most notable difference between yellow jackets and paper wasps is where they build their nests:
Wasp Nests
Paper wasps – both red and European – build their nests of chewed plant fibers. The nests are typically constructed in sheltered, dry locations. The most commonly seen location for nests is under the eaves of buildings, but paper wasps will nest on just about any surface that provides good protection from the rain: under wood piles or lumber stacks, underneath idle farm equipment, inside carports and porches, and even in attics.
Yellow Jacket Nests
Like paper wasps, yellow jackets build their nests using chewed-up plant fiber, but they tend to build their nests underground or in cavities and crevices near ground level. Individuals mowing grass frequently get stung by swarms of yellow jackets that have been disturbed by a mower passing over their nest entrance.
Yellow Jacket vs. Wasp: What Do They Look Like?
Yellow jackets are typically black or dark brown with yellow markings. They grow to about one inch in length and have a slightly wider body than most other wasps. All yellow jackets that live in Georgia have a yellow face.
Of the two most common wasps in Georgia, one is very easy to distinguish from a yellow jacket, while the other is much more physically similar to the yellow jacket:
- The red paper wasp is distinctive, having a reddish-brown color over its entire body
- The European paper wasp resembles a yellow jacket in coloration, with a black body ringed with yellow stripes.
Both species of paper wasps have long, narrow bodies with a distinctive pinched waist (wasp waist).
Yellow Jacket vs. Wasp: Are They Aggressive?
Both yellow jackets and wasps can be aggressive under certain circumstances, but the level and conditions of their aggression are usually very different.
Paper Wasp Aggression
Paper wasps tend to be aggressive only when they’re in the immediate vicinity of the nest or when the nest is actively disturbed. If you encounter a red or European paper wasp while it’s out foraging for food or otherwise away from its colony, it will likely leave you alone so long as you don’t swat at it or otherwise interfere with it. If you disturb a nest, the inhabitants may swarm to try and drive you away.
Yellow Jacket Aggression
Yellow jackets tend to be aggressive at almost any time. They’re one of the few wasp species known to sting even when they’re alone, far from the nest, and not being interfered with. If their nest is disturbed, their already high aggression ramps up even higher, and they will swarm in huge numbers to drive away the invader.
What to Do if Yellow Jackets or Wasps Swarm
If you accidentally disturb a nest of wasps or yellow jackets, getting away quickly is your best option. If you’re running from wasps, running (or walking at a rapid pace) in a straight line away from the nest for 50-100 feet is usually enough to get the insects off your tail.
Yellow jackets can be a little more tenacious when chasing an invader. They have been known to track a target for more than a mile, so your best options will usually be to escape to an indoor location or into a vehicle or other enclosure that you can close to avoid the insects.
One thing you should definitely not do is the old cartoon standby of jumping into a pool of water and waiting out the wasps or yellow jackets. Both insects will hover overhead and wait for you to emerge, and they will stay for far longer than you can hold your breath.
Yellow Jacket vs. Wasp: How to Get Rid of Them
If wasps or yellow jackets have invited themselves to your summer, there are a few ways you can try to get rid of the pests and reclaim the outdoors.
Remove Small Nests Yourself
Note: You should never attempt to remove a wasp nest or yellow jacket nest if you or anyone nearby has an allergy to beestings or wasp stings.
For small nests on your eaves or in your carport, you can probably handle the removal yourself with a long stick and a can of commercial wasp-and-hornet spray:
- Locate the nest
- Make sure you have a clean, open line of escape. When you start spraying, you may end up being chased by several wasps.
- Spray the nest with wasp-and-hornet spray, making sure to cover the whole surface.
- If a swarm attacks you, escape until the insects are no longer pursuing you.
- Knock the nest down using a long stick. Have the spray handy for any wasps that have survived the initial spraying.
Contact the Pros for Larger Infestations
If you have several nests, large nests, or nests inside your attic, or if you are allergic to bee and wasp stings, you should leave the removal to the experts. Your Forsyth, Georgia exterminator has the protective gear and special equipment needed to safely and quickly remove nests of wasps, yellow jackets, hornets, bees, and other stinging insects.
Don’t Get Stung This Summer! Let National Exterminating Eliminate Your Wasp and Yellow Jacket Threat. Call Us: 478-922-1410.
If your Forsyth, Georgia, home or business has unexpectedly become the nesting place for wasps or yellow jackets, National Exterminating can help. Call us today at 478-922-1410.
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