Paper Wasp vs Yellow Jacket: How to Tell the Difference

It can be difficult to tell the difference between black-and-yellow striped wasps in your yard — especially when getting close to them might mean a painful altercation. For that reason, you might want to know whether you’re seeing a paper wasp vs yellow jacket. Here’s what to know about these two familiar bugs, and how to tell them apart.

Is that a wasp, or is it a bee? Learn the key differences.

Paper Wasp Identification

Chances are high you’ve at least seen a paper wasp around, although hopefully not because they’ve built a nest on your house. A relative of yellow jackets, paper wasps usually appear around flower gardens as they hunt for nectar. They also eat small insects such as spiders and caterpillars.

Distinctive features include slim yellow-and-black striped bodies with a narrow waist that connects to the abdomen, long, skinny legs with multiple spines, and two sets of wings that run parallel to the abdomen when folded down. Some wasps have brownish coloration, rather than yellow. Most are about 3/4-inch in length.

Paper wasps build the traditional honeycomb-shaped nest that many associate with bees. The nest itself is exposed rather than enclosed, so the honeycombs remain visible. They build these umbrella-shaped nests in a sheltered place, such as behind window shutters, in attic vents, or even inside grills or mailboxes.

Paper wasps usually aren’t aggressive unless their nest is disturbed and would prefer to leave humans alone. Most stings occur only if the insect is provoked. A nest in a problematic location can require professional assistance to remove.

Is the thread-waisted wasp a harmful or helpful insect?

Yellow Jacket Identification

Yellow jackets closely resemble paper wasps. Found throughout much of North America, yellow jackets are identifiable through their black-and-yellow markings, stocky bodies with short legs, and tendency to swarm as a group.

Their preferred diet is meat and protein, but they also look for nectar and sugary foods, especially in the fall. This often leads them to garbage cans and cookouts, where they’re an unwelcome, uninvited guest.

Although some types of yellow jackets build nests in similar locations to the paper wasp, most yellow jacket nests are constructed underground. They will often occupy a leftover animal den from the previous season. With a reputation for aggression, these insects deliver painful stings in defense of a nest or food source.

If you’re having trouble with bees and wasps at your hummingbird feeder, here’s how to get rid of them.

Paper Wasp vs Yellow Jacket

Telling the difference between a paper wasp vs yellow jacket can be tricky, especially since you’d rather not get too close to either one. Generally, paper wasps are larger than yellow jackets. If you look closer, you’ll find that paper wasps have yellow or orange-colored antennae, while a yellow jacket’s antennae are black.

If you’ve spotted the insect in flight, check the position of its legs: a paper wasp flies with its legs extended, while a yellow jacket flies with them tucked close to its body.

The location of the nest is also a giveaway: an underground nest usually belongs to yellow jackets, while an exposed honeycomb nest usually belongs to a paper wasp. Neither species reuses nests.

Next, learn what to do if you see a bald-faced hornet nest.

Sources

• San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District, “Yellowjacket Identification“
• Cornell Integrated Pest Management, “Paper Wasps“
• Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, “Yellowjacket Wasps Look for Sweet Things to Eat in the Fall“