They usually have yellow on the propodeum and mesonotum, the propodeum has four yellow stripes and the mesonotum has yellow lines. Their colors vary, though they always have yellow coloration. There are two forms of this wasp with the typical form being found in North Carolina. The Guinea paper wasp (Polistes exclamans) is a social wasp, belonging to the Vespidae family. They are mostly active in summer and can be seen visiting flowers and sipping on the nectar. Females dig up and sting the beetle, then place it near the fertilized egg. The blue-winged scoliid wasps feed beetle grubs to their larvae. They are non-aggressive, but the female can sting and will continue to sting if she feels threatened. This wasp is useful in the garden, helping to eradicate Japanese beetles, which chew through leaves and petals. Their wings are not obviously blue, but at certain angles, you can see they are blue/black. The rest of the abdomen is red with yellow spots on the third segment. They grow to 2.5cm with a blackhead, thorax, and first two abdominal segments. Blue-winged Scoliid Wasp Scolia dubiaīlue-winged scoliid wasps (Scolia dubia) are also known as the two-spotted scoliid wasp. They have a smooth stinger that can be removed without staying embedded. Accidentally disturbing a nest can cause multiple stings from a single wasp. They are very protective over their nest and being social, they live in large nests with hundreds of others of the same species. They use the wood to create the next, chewing the wood with saliva to make a paste. They build nests in sheds, homes, barns, firewood, and fences. The dark paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus), also known as the northern paper wasp, are known to build their nests close to humans.

Their nests can also be found in forests and on creek banks. They build their nests above the ground, taking a liking to buildings in subterranean areas. They have yellow lines on their abdomen, head, and thorax with a curved body shape. This wasp can give a very painful sting, even though they are smaller in size than other wasp species. They will aggressively defend their nests from threats. They are social insects, living in colonies, sometimes hundreds of thousands of wasps. Eastern Yellowjacket Vespula maculifronsĮastern yellowjackets (Vespula maculifrons) are found in nests in buildings and recreational areas. They live in paper nests with a single entry hole made from twigs and plant resources which are chewed and shaped by the workers. These hornets are carnivorous and hunt insects, including dragonflies, beetles, and other wasps. They will sting if grabbed or stepped on but tend to avoid conflict. They were introduced in the 1800s by the European settlers. European Hornet Vespa crabroĮuropean hornets (Vespa crabro) are the only true hornet that can be found in North America.

They often build their nests in barns, sheds, and under eaves.

These wasps are particular when choosing a nesting site, taking the elements, lighting, water, and size into consideration. Males have more yellow on the face and legs. Males, on the other hand, have less coloration with more black. Polistes metricusįemales are yellow in limited areas with red and black.

The female has six abdominal segments, while the males have seven. They are a dark rusty color with black on their thorax with a black abdomen. They share nests with other wasps of the same species, sometimes reusing nests over multiple seasons. The metric paper wasp (Polistes metricus) is native to North America.

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