Unlike honeybees, wasps do not die after they sting. Wasps are less hairy. The young larvae eat fresh meat in the form of cutup spiders, flies, bees or caterpillars. Few visit flowers unless they are hunting for flower-visiting insects. Yellow jackets are fierce and the insect most likely to sting.
Yellow jackets are sleek, yellow and black insects that fly extremely well.
Most nest in the ground, but a wall-void nesting yellow jacket species, Vespula germanica, which was introduced from Europe, has increased in numbers in recent years and is now a serious problem at parks and backyards where it scavenges for food. Yellow jacket workers present a major stinging pest problem because their stings cause pain, swelling and discomfort, and they tend to nest around humans. These scavengers are attracted to trash areas, garbage cans, and areas where sugary fluids are. Hornets are aerial nesters and, like their relative the yellow jacket, make nests of paper. They are longer than yellow jackets and either yellow and black.