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If you’ve ever seen a large and usually, but not always, yellow winged creature flying around your house, you may have wondered if it’s a hornet or a wasp. If you’re dealing with a nest, you’ll definitely want to identify the creature you’re dealing with but otherwise, it doesn’t really make a difference, because all hornets are wasps, but not all wasps are hornets. Because of this, you should treat any wasp you see as what it is: a predator that does not care about their prey and will sting, sometimes repeatedly, regardless of what the prey is, regardless if they’re hornets or not.

The terms hornet and wasp might be used interchangeably, and that may not necessarily be wrong, although scientifically, there are some slight differences. One of the main differences is in their aggression towards people. Wasps will have no trouble invading a picnic or feasting on people’s lunch when they’re eating outdoors in the warm summer months. Wasps like to spread out from their nest and attack during the late summer and early fall months. It’s during this time that they’ll most likely look for sweets and be found around garbage cans and other sources of food that can be found outdoors. Hornets however, will usually continue to stick to a protein diet and will continue feasting on smaller insects throughout the entire year.

Another difference can sometimes be found in their appearance. Wasps are commonly also referred to as yellow jackets, because they have the bright yellow and black striped markings. However, the most common type of hornet in North America is the bald-faced hornet, and this hornet has black and ivory coloring that is very different from that of a wasp. All hornets are also usually quite larger than common wasps.

Wasps and hornets also often build their nests in different manners. While they both use chewed tree bark to build the paper nests and combs found within them, yellow jackets often like to build subterranean nests. While this doesn’t mean they build them close to the ground of course, they will often be built along the side of the home, actually being attached to it, or to the side of a tree. Hornets on the other hand, like to have aerial nests that usually hang off of branches or high areas and that are not attached to anything.

When it comes to whether or not the flying insect you’ve spotted is a hornet or a wasp, it doesn’t really essentially matter. And even if you are dealing with an infestation, getting rid of them is pretty much the same too. But scientifically, there are a few notable differences between a hornet and a wasp, and they can often be seen just by looking closely – or as closely as you want to get, anyway.

For a free pest control inspection in Los Angeles or Orange County, give us a call at 888-675-0258.