Types of Yellow Jackets

Scientists classify insects into various species, and in fact, the only true species of true hornet in the U.S. is the European or brown hornet. However, an insect that is actually a wasp, but almost always identified by homeowners as a hornet, is the bald-faced hornet.

Yellowjacket or Yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries.

Dolichovespula arenaria, also known as the common aerial yellowjacket, sandhills hornet, and common yellow hornet, is a species of wasps within the Dolichovespula genus widely distributed in the North American continent.

The tree wasp (Dolichovespula sylvestris) is a species of eusocial wasp in the family Vespidae, found in the temperate regions of Eurasia, particularly in western Europe. Despite being called the tree wasp, it builds both aerial and underground paper nests, and can be found in rural and urban habitats.

The eastern yellow jacket or eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) is a wasp found in eastern North America. Although most of their nests are subterranean, they are often considered a pest due to their nesting in recreational areas and buildings.

Yellowjacket or Yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries.

Yellowjacket or Yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries.

Vespula atropilosa, also known as the prairie yellowjacket, is a black and yellow social wasp that forms annual colonies. Vespula atropilosa was formerly a member of the Vespa family. Males have either xanthic (yellow) or melanic (black) abdominal coloring.

Of the 17 different yellow jacket species in North America, the western yellow jacket is the most common in the western United States. Overall, yellow jackets are easily identified by their black and yellow stripes, defined waist and long wings, which lay laterally against the body when at rest.