A few wasps are stinging nuisances, but most are ecosystem heroes. Here are common types of wasps to avoid, plus those that could save your garden.
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Yellow Jackets (aggressive)
Perhaps the most notorious of wasps, yellow jackets love sugar and meat, which often lands them in backyard barbecues. They are widespread and look similar to honeybees, but with smooth, glossy bodies. They get particularly aggressive when defending their papery nests, which are found underground or on buildings.
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Bald-Faced Hornets (aggressive)
Named for a black patch on their white heads, bald-faced hornets are frequently seen in the eastern and central U.S. Look for their large, papery, football-shaped nests in trees, shrubs and buildings; then stay clear as these hornets will sting multiple times, plus can spray venom from their abdomens.
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Paper Wasps (mildly aggressive)
More slender than yellow jackets, paper wasps also sport yellow markings, but are more easily identified by their umbrella-shaped papery nests. They are also widespread, and while they’re not as aggressive as yellow jackets, they will sting. “Fun fact, when they’re given colored construction paper, they can form rainbow nests,” says Emma Grace Crumbley, an entomologist for Mosquito Squad Plus.
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Ichneumon Wasps (non-threatening)
Ichneumons top the list of creepy types of wasps. As parasitoids, they lay eggs inside living insects and spiders, then their larvae eat their way out. They earned the nickname Darwin wasps after the famous naturalist remarked about their cruelty. But ichneumons are champions when it comes to keeping invertebrate populations in check. They’re also one of the most diverse groups of animals in the world, with more than 25,000 species worldwide.
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Spider Wasps (non-threatening)
Another parasitoid, spider wasps — aka tarantula hawks — are large and black with bright red wings. They’re rarely aggressive toward humans, which is fortunate, since their sting is rated among the most painful in the world. It’s described by the Schmidt sting pain index as “blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hair dryer has just been dropped into your bubble bath.”
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Thread-Waisted Wasps (non-threatening)
There are more than 125 species of thread-waisted wasps in North America, including mud daubers, potter wasps and sand wasps, but all have slender waists and lead solitary lives. They will only sting humans when handled or threatened. Instead, females sting prey, including spiders, to paralyze it, then carry it to underground burrows to feed their larvae. Some also parasitize caterpillars, like ichneumons. Look for adults feeding on flower nectar.
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Cicada Killers (non-threatening)
When cicadas emerge in the eastern and central U.S., these large wasps help keep their numbers in check, stocking their burrows with paralyzed insects to feed their larvae. Cicada killers look intimidating, with large bodies, rusty-red heads and bold black-and-yellow stripes, but typically don’t sting people.
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Blue-Winged Wasps (non-threatening)
These large wasps move into old mud dauber and potter wasp nests, then feed their young with spiders and beetle grubs. They’re widespread, and their striking blue wings make them easy to identify. They rarely sting humans. Instead, they protect turfgrass and crops by helping keeping beetle populations in check.
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Microwasps (non-threatening)
There’s a tiny world of wasps at work in our gardens, forests and farms. At less than 1 mm long, these are some of the smallest insects in the world — delicate, sometimes translucent and barely visible to the naked eye. “Despite their tiny size, they play a huge role in maintaining healthy ecosystems,” says Alex Han, an entomology technician at Butterfly Pavilion. That includes keeping crop-damaging insects like aphids and caterpillars in check. Despite being widespread, scientists have only discovered a fraction of their species.
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Benefits of Different Types of Wasps
Wasps are voracious predators, feasting on caterpillars, spiders, flies, aphids, cicadas, cockroaches and other insects that are pests to humans, crops and gardens. Many solitary wasps are also pollinators. Some create habitats for other invertebrates, others recycle nutrients through scavenging — and all support biodiversity and ecosystem health.
“Far from being mere nuisances, wasps are essential allies in maintaining ecological balance,” says Francisco. “They play an often overlooked, but vital role, and our own survival is strongly linked to theirs.”
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How to Manage Wasps Without Insecticides
It’s important to keep aggressive types of wasps away from walkways, patios and other places people frequent. But insecticides should be a last resort. They harm beneficial insects including pollinators, and disrupt ecosystems — plus spraying a nest often leads to getting stung. Here are some alternatives and preventatives:
- Know your wasps. Like bees, social wasps aggressively defend their nests, whereas solitary wasps rarely sting unless directly threatened. “Recognizing different wasp species and understanding their behaviors helps people coexist safely with them,” says Francisco.
- Call a professional, especially if you have bee and wasp allergies. If a nest becomes problematic, a pest control service can safely move or destroy it. “Even though some of the wasps on this list are not avid stingers, the risk of getting stung is always present when trying to control wasps,” says Emma Grace.
- Create barriers. Cover garbage cans, don’t leave food exposed and seal openings in houses to prevent nesting. “Yellow jacket traps can also help reduce nuisance in picnic areas but should be placed away from people and used only temporarily,” says Francisco.
- Stay calm. Many types of wasps typically sting only when threatened, so avoid sudden movement when you are near them.
Learn how to keep bees and wasps away from hummingbird feeders.
