Yellowjackets can burrow underground, and yellowjackets are very aggressive. But bald-faced hornets don’t dig into sandy soil, instead putting paper nests on trees and structures.
If you have a problem with stinging insects, it’s useful to know the right name for what you’re dealing with so you know what to do next.
The wasps you find nesting in sandy soil are usually yellowjackets or solitary digger wasps like cicada killers. But what most Wisconsinites call hornets are “bald-faced hornets” and they don’t build in the soil. They build large gray football-shaped paper nests that you can often see hanging in trees, under eaves, and on sheds. They are defensive around the nest, but they are not going to dig into your lawn.
Yellowjackets are the ground nesters, and sandy soil suits them well because it drains and holds a cavity. They move into abandoned rodent burrows and then make them larger once they get established. Colonies start small and then grow very large by late summer. When someone disturbs the entrance by walking on it or mowing over it, then they come out in massive numbers.
It’s easy to mistake cicada killers for hornets. But they’re solitary and largely harmless, so if you find them, that’s actually good news. You can tell that they’re cicada killers because they dig neat burrows with distinctive sand fans in bare, sun-baked Wisconsin yards. While territorial males act aggressive, they cannot sting, and the capable females rarely bother people. If this is what’s going on, then you don’t need treatment for them.
If you see many holes scattered across bare sand, each with a small mound, you’re dealing with cicada killers. One hole with a lot of two-way traffic means yellowjackets. If you see a paper nest hanging up somewhere elevated, then you have hornets.
Yellowjacket ground nests and hornet nests near a house both warrant professional treatment. Cicada killers usually warrant leaving alone, or improving turf so the sand is less exposed.
If stinging insects are nesting on your property, Mosquito Squad of NE Wisconsin can help. Mosquito Squad identifies what you have, removes the nests that need removing, and treats the spots where they build. This will help you protect your yard through the season.
