YELLOW JACKETS

PEST DATA:
Size: 3/8″ – 5/8″
Shape: Wasp
Color: Black with yellow stripes
Legs: 6
Wings: Yes
Antenna: Yes

HABITS:
Yellow jackets eat spiders and other insects. They will also feed on human food, especially meats and sweets. Unlike bees, wasps do not make honey or store food.

HABITAT:
Yellow jackets and humans are often found in the same environments. They usually build underground nests near trash in cool, dark spaces. They also build nests in trees, shrubs and in holes in walls. Most yellow jacket colonies only remain active for one year until the queen flies off to start a new colony. The remaining wasps die in the fall and the nest is abandoned. Yellow jacket nests are active during the day and dormant during the evening.

THREATS:
Wasps help farmers by eating pests that can destroy crops. Yet, they are also dangerous because they can sting and inject venom multiple times. For most people, a yellow jacket sting causes a welt with temporary pain, but it can cause life-threatening allergic reactions to others.

PREVENTION:
Do not leave sweet drinks or meats out in the open.
Call a pest management professional if you find yellow jackets around your house.

PAPER WASPS

PEST DATA:
Color: Brownish with yellow markings; a few species with reddish markings
Legs: 6
Shape: Wasp-like, with long legs
Size: 5/8 – 3/4”
Antennae: Yes
Region: Entire US

Paper wasps are sometimes called umbrella wasps, after the shape of their distinctive nests. Various species are found throughout the United States.

HABITS:
Paper wasps are semi-social and live in small colonies. They eat nectar and other insects including caterpillars and flies.

HABITAT:
Paper wasps hang their comb nests from twigs and branches in trees, shrubs, porch ceilings, tops of window and doorframes, soffits, eaves, attic rafters, deck floor joists and railings. In the autumn, pregnant females will seek shelter, and may venture indoors.

THREATS:
Paper wasps are not aggressive by nature, but will sting if disturbed or feel that their nest is threatened. Wasp stings are painful and cause the same risk of allergic reaction as with other insect stings.

PREVENTION:
Before trimming shrubs, hedges, or picking fruit, check for paper wasp nests. Treat wood fences and deck railings with an oil-based sealer to deter paper wasps from gathering cellulose from the wood. If you have a paper wasp infestation, contact a licensed pest management professional. Do not attempt to remove a nest on your own.

MUD DAUBERS

PEST STATS:
Color: Black metallic with  pale markings
Legs: 6
Shape: Long , slender, thread-like waist
Size: 1/2 – 1+”
Antennae: Yes
Region: Entire US

HABITS:
Mud dauber wasps build their nests using mud and do not live in colonies. They target spiders by paralyzing them with venom, bringing them inside their nests and feeding them to young wasps.

HABITAT:
Female mud daubers use mud to build nests with several 1″ long tubes. Nests are build in ares protected from the weather such as attics, garages, barns, sheds, porches,  eaves and seldom used doorways.  Nest are usually inactive and empty after springtime when their young have finished hatching but may be adopted and re-inhabited by other species of wasps.

THREATS:
Mud daubers are not very aggressive and stings are rare. They are considered nuisance pests, but often help to control the numbers of spiders.

PREVENTION:
Consult a pest management professional to remove wasp nests.

EUROPEAN HORNET

PEST STATS:
Color: Pale face, Brown & yellow abdominal stripes
Legs: 6
Shape: Long body
Size: 3/4 – 11/2”
Antennae: Yes
Region: Eastern half of US

European hornets, also called the Giant Hornet,  were introduced to the US via New York in the 19th century.   They are significantly larger than yellow jackets and can be active after dusk during the summer.

HABITS:
They live in colonies of between 200-400 hornets and hunt other large insects such as yellow jackets, grasshoppers, crickets, flies, and honeybees. They are also attracted to sweet substances and to window and porch lights.

HABITAT:
European hornets live in weather protected areas such as attics, barns, sheds, abandoned buildings, holes in trees and abandoned beehives. Outside nests have  a protective shell made of wood cellulose.

THREATS:
European hornets will strip the bark from trees and shrubs to obtain sap as well as use it to construct their nests. They possess the ability to sting multiple times with venom that causes swelling and itching along with the risk of an allergic reaction.

PREVENTION:
Yellow colored bug-bulbs make it more difficult for hornets to navigate at night.  Remove any fallen, rotting fruit from trees.  Consult a licensed pest management professional to remove nests.

AFRICANIZED “KILLER” BEES

PEST STATS:
Color: Golden/yellow, dark brown stripes.
Legs: 6
Shape: Oval; bee shape
Size: 1/2″
Antennae: Yes
Region: Southern US

Africanized “killer” bees are a dangerous stinging insect that can only be distinguished from a honey bee by measuring its body and wing spans.

HABITS:
They often aggressively attack when the colony is threatened and will pursue perceived aggressors for more than a quarter mile.

HABITAT:
Africanized bees nests are sometime built in water meter boxes, junk piles, mailboxes, tires, crates, flower pots and empty cars.

THREATS:
Because Africanized killer bees have a higher number of guard bees and attack in greater numbers than honey bees, they are a greater threat to humans and pets.

PREVENTION:
A pest control professional or beekeeper must be consulted for an Africanized killer bee infestation. If chased by Africanized bees, run in a zig zag pattern and seek shelter.