Is It a Hornet or a Wasp?
By the Clark Pest Entomology Team
Last updated: October 28, 2026
Quick answer: Yellowjackets are 1/2 to 1 inch long with jagged yellow and black stripes. Paper wasps are slender with long legs and hang open, umbrella-shaped nests. Bald-faced hornets are black with white faces and build football-shaped nests. Check the stripes and the nest, then open the matching guide below.
Which Wasp Did You See?
Clark covers four stinging insects that people find around homes in California and Northwestern Nevada. Tap the one that sounds closest.
German YellowjacketAround 1/2 inch long with black and yellow stripes. Look for three black dots on the face and black dots among the stripes. Clark's guide says it nests low to the ground, in rodent burrows, ceilings or wall voids.
Western YellowjacketWorkers measure about 1/2 to 3/4 inch with alternating bands of bright yellow and black. Clark's guide says it is more common away from cities and at higher elevations.
Paper WaspsSlender and about 1 inch long, with long legs and a narrow waist. It hangs an open, umbrella-shaped paper nest from a stalk under eaves or branches.
Bald-faced HornetBlack body with a white face and white stripes near the tail. Its football-shaped paper nest hangs in trees, shrubs or under eaves.
Photo credits: German yellowjacket by Richard Bartz via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.5. Western yellowjacket by Davefoc via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0.
Yellowjacket, Paper Wasp, Hornet or Honey Bee?
Size and shape help, but the nest settles it. Here is how four look-alikes compare.
| Insect | Size and markings | Nest | Where people meet it |
|---|
| Yellowjacket | 1/2 to 1 inch with jagged, bright yellow and black stripes | Layered paper comb inside a paper envelope with one entrance hole. Rodent burrows, wall voids and ceiling voids | Picnics, trash cans, pet food and ripe fruit in late summer |
|---|
| Paper wasp | About 1 inch, slender, with long legs and a thin waist. Golden brown or darker with yellow or red patches | Open umbrella of paper on a stalk. Under eaves, in attics, under branches or vines | Eaves and doorways. Clark's guide also places them near orchards and vineyards |
|---|
| Bald-faced hornet | 13 to 20 mm (about 1/2 to 3/4 inch). Black with ivory-white face markings and white on the abdomen | Gray, football-shaped paper nest in shrubs, trees or under eaves | Wooded foothills and mountains, per Clark's guide |
|---|
| Honey bee | Hairier and less brightly striped than a yellowjacket | Tree or house cavities | Flowers. UC IPM says honey bees are not usually drawn to food |
|---|
Wasps at Your Picnic, Trash Can or Soda
Late summer is when yellowjackets crash the table. UC IPM explains why. A colony starts each spring from one queen. Its larvae need protein in spring and midsummer. By late summer the colony wants sugar, so yellowjackets turn to picnics, garbage cans, pet food and ripe fruit.
Once wasps find a food source they keep hunting around that spot. UC IPM advises covering food, pet food and soda cans, sealing garbage and picking up ripe fruit. It also says yellowjackets sting most often near their nests or when someone swats at scavenging wasps. If one lands on you, UC IPM says to stay calm. The wasp will eventually leave on its own.
Wasps Flying In and Out of One Spot
UC IPM says wasps flying in and out of one location probably have a nest there. What kind of nest decides what happens next.
Yellowjacket nests
Yellowjackets commonly build nests in rodent burrows and sometimes use wall and ceiling voids. An underground nest can sit far from the hole you can see, so one visible entrance does not show the whole colony.
Paper wasp nests
These nests rarely grow bigger than an outstretched hand. UC IPM counts 15 to 200 wasps in a paper wasp colony and says the nests rarely need treatment unless they sit near people. A nest over a front door is near people.
Bald-faced hornet nests
Penn State Extension says a bald-faced hornet is a yellowjacket, not a true hornet. It warns that spraying only the outside of a nest will anger the colony and raise the risk of stings for several days. Penn State also says the nest can usually be left alone unless it sits within about 10 feet of a building entrance, under a low eave or in shrubbery beside a mowed lawn. People with known wasp or bee sting sensitivities should have nests near their home removed by professionals.
Why a professional should handle the nest
UC IPM calls professional removal the easiest and safest option and suggests a licensed pest control operator or your local vector control district. It adds that wasps are usually inside the nest after dark. Even so, a sting is still possible at night, and sprayed wasps can stay angry into the next day. Colonies also get more defensive as the season goes on. A Clark technician can look at the nest and explain your options.
After a Sting: When It Is an Emergency
For most people a sting brings only temporary pain, according to UC IPM. It puts the number of people allergic to bee or wasp stings at one to two out of 1,000. Wash the sting and use a cold compress for the pain. Antihistamines can help with itching and swelling.
Signs that need a doctor now
According to UC IPM, allergic reactions can include hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting, belly cramps and headaches. Dizziness, trouble breathing, passing out or swelling in the throat can be life threatening and need immediate medical care. Symptoms can start right away or up to 30 minutes later. A sting on the neck or mouth also needs medical attention right away because swelling there can block breathing.
Many stings at once
A person stung many times can face a second risk days later. According to UC IPM, a mass stinging can harm the kidneys, with damage showing up days later. Wasp stings carry the same risk as bee stings. Anyone stung many times should talk with a doctor. If you think someone in your family may be allergic, UC IPM suggests testing by a physician or allergist.
Clark's Expert Insight
Do not poke, spray or knock down a nest to see what lives in it. Watch from a distance instead. Note where the wasps go in and out, what color they are and how big the nest looks. A photo taken from far away tells a technician a lot about which wasp it is and how to plan the visit.
Wasp Questions Homeowners Ask
What is the difference between a wasp, a yellowjacket and a hornet?
Yellowjackets and paper wasps are both social wasps. UC IPM describes yellowjackets as 1/2 to 1 inch long with jagged yellow and black stripes. It describes paper wasps as slender, about 1 inch long and long legged. Penn State Extension says the bald-faced hornet is really a yellowjacket and that the only true hornet in North America is the introduced European hornet.
How big are paper wasps?
UC IPM describes paper wasps as slender wasps about 1 inch long with long legs and a distinct narrow waist. Their color can be golden brown or darker with yellow or red patches. Their nests hang like an open umbrella from a short stalk.
Are bald-faced hornets aggressive?
They can be. Clark's guide says they can be extremely aggressive when a nest is disturbed and may attack repeatedly. Penn State Extension warns that spraying a nest from a distance raises the risk of stings for several days, and it also calls these hornets generally beneficial because they prey on other insects.
How do I tell a German yellowjacket from a western yellowjacket?
Look at the face and the setting. Clark's guide says the German yellowjacket is around 1/2 inch long with three black dots on its face and black dots among the stripes. It says the western yellowjacket's workers measure about 1/2 to 3/4 inch with alternating yellow and black bands. Clark places the German species closer to homes and the western species away from cities and at higher elevations.
Do wasps die off in winter?
The colony does, but queens carry on. UC IPM says wasp colonies start each spring from one queen. Penn State Extension says most of a bald-faced hornet colony will die before or shortly after the first hard frost. Only new potential queens survive the winter.
When should I call a professional about wasps?
Call when a nest sits near a door, deck or walkway or when wasps are coming out of a wall or the ground. Also call if anyone at home has a known sting allergy. UC IPM calls professional removal the easiest and safest choice, and it warns that an underground nest can be far from its visible entrance.