Most people call any yellow-and-black stinger a "wasp" or a "hornet". In the Carolinas and Virginia that one word covers at least five different insects. They nest in different places, defend those nests very differently, and call for different responses. One of them is new here: an invasive hornet first found in South Carolina in 2023 and in North Carolina this past July.
Yellowjackets are small (about 1/2 inch), stocky and bright yellow and black, and usually nest in the ground. Paper wasps are longer and slimmer, with a thin waist and dangling legs, and build an open, umbrella-shaped comb under eaves. Hornets are the big ones. In our area that means the bald-faced hornet, which is actually a black-and-white yellowjacket with a football-shaped paper nest in a tree, and the inch-long, reddish-brown European hornet, which nests in hollow trees and walls and flies at night.
The one that causes most of the trouble is the yellowjacket, because its nests are hidden in the lawn and can hold thousands of workers by late summer.
Side-by-Side: How to Tell Them Apart
| Paper wasp | Yellowjacket | Bald-faced hornet | European hornet | Yellow-legged hornet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 5/8 to 3/4 in | About 1/2 in | About 3/4 in | About 1 in, queens larger | About 3/4 to 1 in |
| Look | Slim, thin waist, long dangling legs, brown or red with yellow | Stocky, smooth, bright yellow and black bands | Black with a white face and white bands | Reddish-brown head and thorax, yellow abdomen | Dark body, one orange-yellow band near the tip, yellow legs |
| Nest | Open comb, no cover, under eaves, rails and grill lids | Covered paper nest in the ground, sometimes in walls | Grey football-shaped paper nest in trees, shrubs or on eaves | Hollow trees, wall voids, attics. Rarely hangs in the open | Large nests high in trees by fall |
| Colony | Several dozen | Hundreds to thousands | About 400 (100 to 700) | 200 to 500, occasionally up to 1,000 | Up to about 2,000 |
| Temperament | Rarely stings unless the nest is touched | Most defensive, and scavenges food in late summer | Very defensive near the nest | Less defensive than yellowjackets | Sting no more potent than native hornets', but big colonies on buildings may mean more run-ins |
Sizes and colony numbers come from Clemson HGIC, NC State Extension and Virginia Tech fact sheets (sources below).
Paper Wasps
Paper wasps (Polistes) are what most Southern homeowners mean by "wasp". Clemson puts them at 5/8 to 3/4 inch, mostly brownish with yellow markings. Our big red wasps are actually two lookalike species, Polistes carolina and P. rubiginosus. In flight, their long legs hang down behind them, which is the quickest way to tell one from a yellowjacket.
The nest gives them away. It's a single open comb of grey paper hanging from a short stalk, with the cells visible from below. Look under eaves, porch ceilings, window frames, deck rails, grill covers and shutters. NC State describes a typical nest as 6 to 8 inches across with several dozen wasps. In spring, several queens often start a nest together until one takes over. In winter only the new queens survive, tucked under bark or in sheltered gaps, which is why you find them in sheds and attics in early spring.
They are the least aggressive of the group. In Clemson's words, they "do not readily attack people" but will sting if they feel threatened. Most paper wasp stings happen when someone grabs a railing or reaches into a shrub right next to a nest they didn't know was there.
Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets (Vespula) are about 1/2 inch long, shorter and stockier than paper wasps, with very sharp yellow and black bands. Unlike bees they are smooth, not fuzzy. Two species do most of the stinging here: the eastern yellowjacket (V. maculifrons) and the southern yellowjacket (V. squamosa).
The nest is a ball of paper combs wrapped in a paper envelope, almost always hidden. Clemson says a queen usually starts in a soil cavity such as an abandoned mouse nest, or in a hollow tree. Nests also turn up in attics, under porches, in eaves and sheds, and in wall voids. NC State notes they favor lawns, especially sandy, exposed spots, which describes a lot of Carolina yards. The giveaway is a steady stream of yellowjackets flying straight into a hole in the ground.
Why late summer is the worst
In South Carolina, Clemson says colonies start in April or May, may reach several hundred workers by August, and peak in late summer and early fall, when most run-ins happen. By then a normal nest holds 600 to 800 workers, according to NC State, and the colony has switched to hunting sweets and protein, which is why yellowjackets show up at cookouts and trash cans. Cold weather kills the colony, and only the new queens survive the winter.
In the warm South, some nests don't die. Clemson records a Charleston County colony found in August 1991 that had about 250,000 workers and was thought to have been active for more than one year. The University of Florida describes southern yellowjacket nests built in palms and in a rolled-up rug in a garage, and one about 8 feet tall built around a tree stump, with 74 layers of comb.
What the stings look like in real yards
Most homeowner stories start the same way. On Reddit, Google turns up thread after thread about running over a ground nest with a mower: stung 6 times at once, a toddler stung 3 times on the face, a push mower left parked on the nest while the owner ran for the house. One commenter on a 4.6-million-view nest removal video described a childhood blackberry-picking trip where the brother in front kicked the nest and got away, and the one behind did not. The pattern matches the biology. The first disturbance alerts the nest, and whoever is standing there next gets the defenders.
Bald-Faced Hornets
Despite the name, Clemson says the bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) "is not a hornet". It's a yellowjacket that happens to be black and white instead of yellow and black. The University of Florida explains how the names came about: wasps that nest above ground got called hornets, and ground nesters got called yellowjackets.
Workers are about 3/4 inch long with a white face. The nest is the grey paper football you see hanging in trees, shrubs and sometimes eaves. Clemson notes it can reach 14 inches across and more than 23 inches long. Colonies average about 400 workers. They defend the nest hard, and Clemson notes they can squirt venom from the stinger into the eyes of an intruder. Away from the nest they're much less of a problem than yellowjackets.
European Hornets
The European hornet (Vespa crabro) is the only true hornet that has been established in the US for a long time. It arrived in New York in the 1850s and has spread through most of the eastern states. Workers are about an inch long and queens are bigger. Look for a reddish-brown head and thorax with a yellow abdomen marked with black.
Nests are in hollow trees, wall voids, attics, sheds and barns. Clemson calls open, hanging nests "extremely rare". The behavior people notice most is night flying. Virginia Tech says they hit lit windows and screens "with an audible impact". They aren't alone in this, though. NC State's insect clinic notes that bald-faced hornets "and others" also come to porch lights. Despite their size, Clemson rates European hornets "generally less defensive than yellowjackets or baldfaced hornets".
The New One: Yellow-Legged Hornet
The yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina) is an invasive species from Southeast Asia. It was first found in the US near Savannah, Georgia, in August 2023, and in South Carolina that November. Clemson's apiculture specialist reports that nearly 200 nests were removed across the region in 2025. In December 2025 a nest turned up in McConnells, York County, the first one found outside the Lowcountry. North Carolina confirmed its first find on July 27, 2026, in Matthews (Union County), after a homeowner noticed hornets at a hummingbird feeder.
The main threat is to honey bees, which these hornets hunt outside the hive. For people, Clemson says they pose "no greater risk to humans than other hornets". NC State Extension says the same. If you think you've seen one, don't disturb the nest. Report it. In South Carolina that's Clemson's Department of Plant Industry (report a yellow-legged hornet). In North Carolina it's the NCDA&CS.
The Asian giant hornet (the "murder hornet" from the news) has not been found in the Carolinas or Virginia.
The Lookalike That Isn't a Hornet: Cicada Killers
Every summer, extension offices field reports of "giant hornets" or "murder hornets" digging in the lawn. They usually turn out to be eastern cicada killers (Sphecius speciosus). NC State gives their size as 1 1/8 to 1 5/8 inches, as big as the biggest hornet here. They are solitary, so there's no colony to defend the nest. Males can't sting, and females rarely do. They like grassy, well-drained soil and show up in June and July. NC State's fix is a thicker lawn (fertilizing, liming and regular watering), not spraying.
Which One Is Most Dangerous?
For a typical yard, the yellowjacket. Its nests are hidden where people mow and walk, it has the largest colonies, and in late summer it comes looking for your food. All of these insects can sting more than once, because, unlike a honey bee, they don't leave the stinger behind. Nationally, the CDC counted an average of 62 deaths a year from hornet, wasp and bee stings combined from 2000 to 2017, about 80% of them men. Anyone with a known sting allergy should carry their epinephrine and leave nest removal to someone else.
Getting Rid of Them: What Works and What Doesn't
Timing matters more than the product
Every extension source agrees on this: treat nests late in the evening or at night, when the foragers are home. Clemson warns not to shine a flashlight on the nest. Virginia Tech suggests a red light instead. The University of Florida adds that even a quiet nest at night "will result in instant activity" when disturbed, so work quickly.
The common methods, checked
| Method | What the evidence says |
|---|---|
| Wasp spray on a small paper wasp nest | Reasonable for a small, reachable nest at dusk (NC State). Knock the comb down afterward. |
| Insecticide dust at a ground nest entrance | Mississippi State's entomologist tapes a cup to a long stick and dumps a tablespoon of dust on the entrance and walks away, calling it "one of the more effective and least confrontational methods". Returning workers carry it inside. He has used it during the day. Working at dusk lowers the sting risk, and he suggests checking after 24 hours and adding a second dose if needed. |
| Clear glass bowl over the hole | Mixed. A University of Georgia entomologist tried it twice in his own yard and it "eliminated the nest within 4-5 days". A Georgia reader's attempt failed on pine straw, where the yellowjackets got out through the straw. It works best on one entrance in firm soil or turf, with the rim pressed in. One of Dr. Guillebeau's colleagues reported "all dead" after a few days. |
| Pouring gasoline down the hole | Don't. It's one of the most upvoted tips on Reddit, but NC State calls it "extremely dangerous", a fire hazard that does real damage to the soil and anything around it. |
| Traps | They catch foragers but don't reach the queen. In Shawn Woods' tests (Utah, western species), a soapy-water tub with meat under a board caught 420 yellowjackets in about 4 hours. A sticky trap caught 172, plus flies and a bald-faced hornet. A Wisconsin vineyard study found acetic acid plus isobutanol lures caught significantly more eastern yellowjackets than heptyl butyrate, the apple-scented lure in many store traps. For eastern yellowjackets, the acetic acid and isobutanol lure is the better choice. |
When to call a professional
- Any ground nest near a path, play area or where you mow
- Any nest inside a wall, attic or crawl space. Sealing the hole can push them indoors
- Any bald-faced or European hornet nest near the house
- Anyone in the household with a sting allergy
- A nest you can't reach from the ground
Our wasp and hornet control service handles ground, wall and aerial nests. For more, see how to safely deal with a wasp nest and are wasps dangerous?
If You're Stung
- Get away from the nest and indoors if you can. Staying near it brings more stings.
- Wasps, yellowjackets and hornets usually don't leave a stinger, so there's nothing to scrape out.
- Use a cold pack wrapped in cloth for swelling.
- Call 911 for hives spreading away from the sting, swelling of the throat or tongue, dizziness or trouble breathing.
- After many stings at once, get checked even if you feel fine.
Key Takeaways
- Thin waist and dangling legs, open comb: paper wasp. The least aggressive.
- Small, stocky, bright yellow, ground nest: yellowjacket. The most dangerous in a typical yard, peaking in late summer and early fall.
- Black and white, grey football nest: bald-faced hornet, which is really a yellowjacket.
- Inch-long, reddish-brown, at the window at night: European hornet.
- Dark with yellow legs: possibly the invasive yellow-legged hornet, now in both Carolinas. Report it.
- Treat at night, never with gasoline, and call a pro for ground, wall and large hornet nests.
Sources: Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC, "Yellowjackets", "Paper Wasps", "Baldfaced Hornets" and "European Hornet"; B. Powell, "Yellow-Legged Hornets on the Move", Clemson HGIC, 2026; Clemson News, York County yellow-legged hornet nest, December 2025; N.C. Cooperative Extension, "Yellow-Legged Hornet Confirmed in North Carolina", 2026; D. Tarpy, J. Flowers and M. Waldvogel, "Non-Honey Bee Stinging Insects in North Carolina", NC State Extension; M. Bertone, "Wasps at Porch Lights", NC State Extension; E. Day and T. Dellinger, "European Hornet", Virginia Cooperative Extension; E. E. Grissell, "Hornets and Yellowjackets", UF/IFAS EENY-081; B. Layton, "Yellowjacket Control Method", Mississippi State Extension, 2018; glass bowl trials by Dr. Paul Guillebeau (UGA) and reader reports, walterreeves.com; C. Guédot et al., "Species Composition, Abundance and Seasonal Phenology of Social Wasps in Wisconsin Vineyards", Insects 9:57 (2018); CDC, "QuickStats: Deaths from Hornet, Wasp, and Bee Stings, 2000–2017", MMWR 68(29); S. Woods, "5 Proven Methods to Quickly Trap 1000s of Yellowjackets", YouTube; homeowner accounts from Reddit (via Google search excerpts) and YouTube comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
All three are wasps. Paper wasps are slim with a thin waist and dangling legs and build an open comb. Yellowjackets are small, stocky and bright yellow and black, and nest mostly in the ground. Hornets are the large wasps. In the Carolinas and Virginia that means the European hornet, the bald-faced hornet (really a yellowjacket) and now the invasive yellow-legged hornet.
No, but they are close relatives. Yellowjackets (Vespula) and true hornets (Vespa) are in the same wasp family. The bald-faced hornet is actually a yellowjacket that got the name hornet because it is large and builds an above-ground nest.
Yellowjackets. Paper wasps rarely sting unless their nest is touched. Yellowjackets defend large hidden ground nests and scavenge food in late summer, so they cause most of the stings in yards.
Most likely European hornets, which fly at night and are drawn to lit windows and porch lights. NC State notes bald-faced hornets also come to lights. Turning off outdoor lights near the nest helps.
The Asian giant hornet (murder hornet) has not been found here. A different invasive species, the yellow-legged hornet, has been found in South Carolina since 2023 and in North Carolina since July 2026. Clemson says its sting is no more potent than native hornets', though its large colonies and nests on buildings may mean more run-ins with people, and it kills honey bees, so sightings should be reported.
Yellowjackets are smooth and shiny with bright, sharp yellow and black bands. Honey bees are fuzzy and golden brown. Yellowjackets usually nest in the ground or in walls and can sting more than once. A honey bee usually leaves its stinger and dies.
Usually you only see the entrance: a hole in the lawn, a flower bed or a gap in siding, with yellowjackets flying straight in and out. The nest itself is a ball of paper combs wrapped in a paper envelope, hidden underground or inside a wall.
Late summer and fall. Clemson says colonies start in April or May and peak in late summer and early fall. That's when nests are largest and workers start scavenging food and drinks.
Sometimes. A University of Georgia entomologist reported it eliminated nests within 4 to 5 days in his yard, but it can fail in loose material like pine straw, where the wasps get out underneath. Place it very early in the morning or at dusk (UGA advises against doing it at night with a flashlight), over a single entrance in firm soil, with the rim pressed in, and keep people away for several days.
No. NC State Extension warns that it is extremely dangerous, a fire hazard that also damages the soil and surrounding area. Use an insecticide dust at the entrance at night, or call a professional.
Photo credits: Desislav Iliev, CC BY 4.0; Xorx, CC BY-SA 4.0; Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0; Romzig, CC0; Vespa-Watch, CC0; Dmitry Brant, CC BY-SA 4.0; all via Wikimedia Commons.