Bald-faced Hornet
Bald-faced Hornets are moderately large and has whitish or yellowish markings on the front of the head, between the eyes. The basic color of the body is black, with white markings on the abdomen and thorax. They are well know for their pear-shaped paper nest that can get pretty large.
Bumble Bee
Bumble Bees are large, black and yellow, social insects that generally nest underground. They tend to nest in abandoned mouse burrows under piles of leaves, grass clippings, logs or other such locations. They are not aggressive, but will sting if their nest is threatened or in self-defense
Cicada Killer Wasp
The cicada killer is a large wasp that is up to 2” long. The body is black and strikingly marked with yellow, so that it’s general appearance bears some resemblance to a large hornet. The female cicada killer wasp will excavate a large burrow about a 1/2” hole in diameter. The burrow is then filled with food such as spiders, caterpillars, cicadas, and other insects that have been stung and paralyzed. She then deposits and egg on the food and seals the burrow.
Honey Bee
Honey bees can be various shades of yellow, black, brown or orange, with the head, antennae, legs and a portion of the abdomen being dark. The body is covered with light colored hairs, thickest on top of the thorax. Worker bees are usually 2/3” long. Individual colonies may have 20,000 to 50,000 bees.
Mud Dauber
Mud daubers vary in color, from metallic blue to black with yellow markings. They are long and slender wasp with a thin waist. They are frequently found around the edge of mud puddles during the summer, where they obtain mud to make their nest. Mud daubers typically feed on spiders and rarely sting humans.
Paper Wasp
Paper wasps are slender bodied insects that are reddish-orange to dark-brown to black. These are the most common wasp that is encountered. The nest usually consist of only one tier or layer of cells called the comb. They are typically found on horizontal surfaces like eves, under decks, or under window ledges.
Red Paper Wasp
Red wasps are about an inch long with the body being red in color and black wings. They are not as aggressive as the yellow jack but will sting when defending their nest. Typically we find these inside eves of homes, outbuildings, under decks and other such areas.
Yellow Jacket
Yellow jackets are about 1/2” long, black and yellow in color and typically build their nest underground. Underground nests are often started in an abandoned mammal burrow or a similar underground cavity. They also nest in other protected areas such as wall voids, attics, porches and sheds. Yellow jackets can be very aggressive and will sting repeatedly without provocation.
