4 Bugs That Look Like Yellowjackets
Think you found yellowjackets? These 4 bugs are the ones most often mistaken for them. Each entry below shows how to tell the difference.
How to recognize a real yellowjacket
- Smooth, shiny yellow and black body with little hair
- Narrow waist and wings folded lengthwise at rest
- Rapid side-to-side flight near nest entrances
1. Honey Bee
A fuzzy, golden-brown bee with darker bands that pollinates crops and flowers and lives in large colonies. A worker's barbed stinger stays in the skin after it stings.
How it differs:
- Color: Yellowjackets are yellow and black; honey bees are yellow, brown and black.
- Risk: the yellowjacket can cause medically significant bites, stings or disease, while the honey bee can bite or sting, usually with mild, local effects.
- Where found: look for yellowjackets in lawns and grass, in yards and on patios and in gardens and on plants; honey bees turn up in gardens and on plants.
2. Paper Wasp
A slender wasp with long, dangling legs that builds open, umbrella-shaped paper nests under eaves, railings and grills. It hunts caterpillars to feed its young.
How it differs:
- Size: Paper Wasps are larger, reaching 25 mm, while yellowjackets top out around 16 mm.
- Color: Yellowjackets are yellow and black; paper wasps are brown, yellow, red and black.
- Risk: the yellowjacket can cause medically significant bites, stings or disease, while the paper wasp can bite or sting, usually with mild, local effects.
3. Bald-Faced Hornet
A black wasp with ivory-white markings on its face and the tip of its abdomen. It builds large, gray, football-shaped paper nests in trees, shrubs and under eaves.
How it differs:
- Size: Bald-Faced Hornets are larger, reaching 20 mm, while yellowjackets top out around 16 mm.
- Color: Yellowjackets are yellow and black; bald-faced hornets are black and white.
- Where found: look for yellowjackets in lawns and grass, in yards and on patios and in gardens and on plants; bald-faced hornets turn up on trees and shrubs and in yards and on patios.
4. Cicada Killer
One of the largest wasps in North America, with a black-and-yellow abdomen and amber wings. Females dig burrows in sandy lawns and stock them with paralyzed cicadas.
How it differs:
- Size: Cicada Killers are larger, reaching 50 mm, while yellowjackets top out around 16 mm.
- Color: Yellowjackets are yellow and black; cicada killers are black, yellow and red.
- Risk: the yellowjacket can cause medically significant bites, stings or disease, while the cicada killer is a nuisance pest but not a health threat to most people.
Side-by-side comparison
| Yellowjacket | Honey Bee | Paper Wasp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Bees & Wasps | Bees & Wasps | Bees & Wasps |
| Scientific name | Vespula maculifrons | Apis mellifera | Polistes spp. |
| Size | 10–16 mm | 12–15 mm | 16–25 mm |
| Colors | Yellow and Black | Yellow, Brown and Black | Brown, Yellow, Red and Black |
| Legs | 6 legs | 6 legs | 6 legs |
| Wings | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bites or stings | Stings | Stings | Stings |
| Risk | Health risk | Can bite or sting | Can bite or sting |
| Key feature | Smooth, shiny yellow and black body with little hair | Golden-brown to amber body with dark abdominal bands | Long, thin body with a narrow waist |
Quick identification checklist
- Count the legs. Yellowjackets have 6 legs.
- Check for wings. Yellowjackets have wings.
- Measure it. Yellowjackets are 10–16 mm (up to about 0.63 in).
- Look for the signature feature: smooth, shiny yellow and black body with little hair.
- Note where you found it. Yellowjackets are usually in lawns and grass, in yards and on patios and in gardens and on plants.
When you'll see yellowjackets
Yellowjackets are most active in summer and fall. Summer heat speeds up development, so populations can grow quickly. In fall, many bugs look for shelter, and some move toward or into buildings.
Typical places to check: lawn or grass, yard or patio and garden or plants.
About bees & wasps
The yellowjacket is one of the bees & wasps. Bees and wasps belong to the same order as ants. Social species such as honey bees, bumble bees, yellowjackets and hornets live in colonies with a queen, while solitary species such as mud daubers and cicada killers raise their young alone. Only females can sting, because the stinger is a modified egg-laying tube.
Social wasp colonies grow all summer and are largest and most defensive in late summer and early fall. Most colonies die off in winter, leaving only new queens to start over in spring.
Are yellowjackets or their lookalikes dangerous?
- Yellowjacket: Yellowjackets sting repeatedly and defend nests aggressively; multiple stings or an allergy can be dangerous.
- Honey Bee: A honey bee sting is painful and can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions in sensitive people; call a local beekeeper for swarms.
- Paper Wasp: Paper wasps are less aggressive than yellowjackets but will sting to defend their nest.
- Bald-Faced Hornet: Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
- Cicada Killer: Despite their size, cicada killers are docile; males can't sting and females rarely do.
Frequently asked questions
What bug looks like a yellowjacket?
The closest lookalikes are honey bee, paper wasp, bald-faced hornet and cicada killer.
How can I be sure it's a yellowjacket?
Look for these features: smooth, shiny yellow and black body with little hair, narrow waist and wings folded lengthwise at rest and rapid side-to-side flight near nest entrances.
Are yellowjackets dangerous?
Yellowjackets sting repeatedly and defend nests aggressively; multiple stings or an allergy can be dangerous.