Social Habits

• Wasps are not social insects. The female is solitary, and raises her young directly. Some wasp species are parasitic. The female stings an insect or spider and lays her eggs on its body. The young hatch out and feed on the paralyzed prey. Hornets and yellow jackets are social. The queen raises an initial brood of workers, and after the workers are adults, they tend the hive and forage while the queen lays more eggs. Hornet colonies usually number around 15 to 200 individuals, while a large yellow jacket colony can number in excess of 15,000.
  
  

Nesting Habits

• Yellow jackets and hornets build nests out of chewed wood fiber, while wasps build their nests out of mud or holes they dig in the ground. Hornets hang their nests from trees and in doorways. Depending on the species, the nest may be open or enclosed. Yellow jackets usually build underground nests, but may nest in gaps in trees or under buildings.
  
  

Appearance

• Yellow jackets are named for their bright black and yellow colors. They resemble honeybees, but lack the hairy body of a bee. Hornets can be brown, black or black and white depending on the species. Wasps are more varied, and can be black, black and yellow, red or brown. Wasps have long, slender waists, while hornets and yellow jackets have shorter waists.
  
  

Eating Habits

• All wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are predators. Males sometimes visit flowers, but they are not important pollinators. They feed mainly on other insects, but yellow jackets are also scavengers. They will feed on carrion, garbage and sweet foods. When insect prey becomes rare in the late summer and fall, they switch to feeding on pollen, nectar and whatever they can find. This is why they are a common sight around picnics and outdoor activities.