Yellow Jackets

Color: Abdomen usually black and yellow pattered similar to bands
Legs: Six
Shape: Wasp-like
Size: Workers 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch

There are several species of yellowjackets. These flying insects typically have a yellow and black head/face and patterned abdomen. Many say the pattern resembles stripes. Signature to species, the abdomen pattern can help an entomologist or pest professional identify specific types of yellow jackets.

Habits
Yellow jackets nest in the ground or in cavernous areas such as eaves, attics, etc…. They feed on sweets and proteins and commonly invade outdoor activities.

Habitat
Yellow jackets can be found anyplace humans can be found. Check near recycling bins or other areas where sugars are common but keep in mind these pests also feed on protein. Yellow jackets become more aggressive in autumn when the colony begins to die out except for the queen.

Threats
Yellow jackets pose significant health threats to humans as they may sting repeatedly and can cause allergic reactions. Stinging insects send over 500,000 people to the emergency room each year.

Bees

Color: Predominantly golden-yellow with brown bands
Legs: 6
Shape: Oval; bee shape
Size: 1/2

Honey bees are social insects found all over the world. They are an extremely important beneficial insect because of their role in pollination. Honey bees pollinate more than 100 crops in the U.S.

Habits
Honeybees are active pollinators, and produce honey which feeds their young in colder months. The honeybee is the only social insect whose colony can survive many years.

Habitat
Honeybees produce honey from pollen and nectar of the plants they pollinate. They store the honey in honeycombs in their nests. They often build their nests in tree crevices, but will occasionally build nests in attics or chimneys.

Threats
Honeybees do sting, but they only sting once. The sting can be extremely painful if the stinger is not immediately removed from the sting. Persons allergic to insect stings will have a more severe reaction.

Bald Faced Hornet

Color: Black & White
Legs: Six
Shape: Wasp-like
Size: Up to 1 inch

Workers can be identified from the large patches of white on their face; this character gives them the name, bald-faced hornet. Their abdomen is mostly black with white markings at the posterior tip. This hornet is the largest endemic yellow jacket in North America and it can build nests containing hundreds of individuals.

Habits
Bald-faced hornets build colonies inside large enclosed carton nests that hang from trees, bushes, low vegetation and occasionally from buildings.

Habitat
A single mated queen starts a new nest each spring by laying eggs inside a small carton nest. The eggs turn into larvae and the queen feeds these larvae until they become pupae and then workers. It is the workers that gradually expand the size of this nest until it is larger than a basketball by the end of the summer season.

Threats
Since there is always a danger from anaphylactic shock from the venom of a hornet, it is good policy to leave pest control of colonies to a professional. Try to find hornet nests as soon as possible in the spring and summer because they only become larger and more aggressive with time. At the end of the season, the carton nest often remains hanging from a tree but the workers have all died out and the newly mated queens have left the nest to over-winter behind the bark of trees.