We're a 1/2 mile from a major D/FW area lake. Good news is wildlife are in abundance and we do our best to support them. Bad news is yellow jackets and red wasps are a constant battle. I can easily handle the yellow jackets but the red wasps are more of a challenge because they are so aggressive.

I'm my experience, when most folks talk about yellow jackets, they're really referring to paper wasps. They are yellow/black and build paper looking nests often hanging under ledges, covers, etc.

I only just found out a couple years ago that a red wasp is just a paper wasp…one of two main species. Typically thought to be more aggressive, but I'm not sure there's a difference in sting.

Yellow jackets burrow holes in the ground and are noticeably bigger than paper wasps.

I've had the pleasure of being stung countless times by paper wasps (including reds), but never a yellow jacket.

Badace52 said:

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Scorpions are almost nothing, honeybees are slightly worse than a fire ant, texas yellowjackets (actually paper wasps) are a shade worse than a bee, female carpenter bees are pretty similar to a paper wasp type yellowjacket, Red wasps are pretty bad and a big jump up from the carpenter bee... ground hornets (actual yellowjackets) are much worse than red wasps and cow killer ants (velvet ants) are the worst sting I've ever had. Felt like I got stabbed with a hot poker in the bottom of my foot.

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I was gonna ask about cow killers. We used to catch them and toss them into garden spider webs…one time the cow killer somehow managed to eat it's way out after being spun up into a silk coffin.

tk111 said:

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Badace52 said:

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Scorpions are almost nothing, honeybees are slightly worse than a fire ant, texas yellowjackets (actually paper wasps) are a shade worse than a bee, female carpenter bees are pretty similar to a paper wasp type yellowjacket, Red wasps are pretty bad and a big jump up from the carpenter bee... ground hornets (actual yellowjackets) are much worse than red wasps and cow killer ants (velvet ants) are the worst sting I've ever had. Felt like I got stabbed with a hot poker in the bottom of my foot.

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Wonder where cicada killers fall on that hierarchy. They never seemed to give a crap about me except for one just one time when I was mowing the grass in my teens. No joke I still have a visible scar on my shoulder from it.

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Cicada killers apparently almost never sting. Some summers I have a bunch that burrow in my flowerbeds. At first the damned things kept me from mowing the yard but they've never bothered me.

PharmD4 said:

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I'm my experience, when most folks talk about yellow jackets, they're really referring to paper wasps. They are yellow/black and build paper looking nests often hanging under ledges, covers, etc.

I only just found out a couple years ago that a red wasp is just a paper wasp…one of two main species. Typically thought to be more aggressive, but I'm not sure there's a difference in sting.

Yellow jackets burrow holes in the ground and are noticeably bigger than paper wasps.

I've had the pleasure of being stung countless times by paper wasps (including reds), but never a yellow jacket.

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I'm reasonably sure everyone on here acknowledges that the little black and yellow paper wasps are not true "yellow jackets", but it is the common name so often used. The little ground dwelling bastages went to charm school with red wasps.

No doubt. I use it as a generic term. However, there are actual yellow jackets around as well. It's the local high school mascot for a reason.