All hornets are wasps, but not all wasps are hornets. Hornets are generally larger, more aggressive when their nest is threatened, and build bigger, enclosed nests. Most other common wasps, like paper wasps and yellow jackets, are smaller and nest differently.
Trying to figure out what’s buzzing around your head when you’re on the porch and just want to eat dinner is frustrating. And it matters a lot because the type of stinging insect you’re dealing with will determine how you deal with it—and how risky it is to take action on your own.
Hornets are the largest social wasps you’ll encounter. The two species most common in New Hampshire are the bald-faced hornet and the European hornet. Bald-faced hornets are black and white, about three-quarters of an inch long, and build large, enclosed papery nests on tree branches or building exteriors. European hornets are brown and yellow, over an inch long, and prefer to nest in cavities like hollow trees, attics, and wall voids. European hornets are also active at night, and are attracted to lights in much the same way moths are.
Paper wasps are slimmer and smaller, typically reddish-brown with yellow markings. They build small, open, umbrella-shaped nests that hang from eaves, porch ceilings, and fence rails. You can easily tell a paper wasp nest apart from other kinds of wasp nests because of its hexagonal cell structure, visible from below. Thankfully, paper wasps are generally less aggressive than hornets, as long as you don’t directly threaten their nest.
Yellow jackets are small, bright yellow and black, and often build underground nests in old rodent burrows. They’re also aggressive, territorial, and are attracted to food and sweet drinks, which is why they show up at picnics and barbecues. That makes them the ones most likely to ruin your outdoor events.
For practical purposes, the key differences between hornets and wasps come down to size, nest location, and aggressiveness. Hornets are bigger and build bigger nests. Paper wasps are the most docile, unless provoked. Yellow jackets are typically the meanest of the whole bunch. But all of them can sting repeatedly, which is not something you can say about bees.
If you’re a Concord homeowner and you’re dealing with stinging insects, Mosquito Squad of Southern New Hampshire can help with pest control treatments that target the areas where hornets, wasps, and other stinging insects nest and feed. A trained technician will inspect your property and apply treatments to help reduce stinging insect activity throughout the season.
