@thorthyim1530 - These wasps sure have similar colors! And they are both in the Hymenoptera order of insect species, along with bees, ants and sawflies. So they do have a lot in common.
Thanks for the updates, we live in Manteca,ca. before that we lived in South San Francisco,ca born and raised in San Francisco. In South San Francisco we had yellow jackets they built there nest in the trees in our backyard, sometimes they would be as big as a basketball. I remember I had waited until winter time and I took it down and cut a side out of there nest and it had 7-8 floors of catacombs in there. I have always been interested in where the bee or wasps are going back to there nest. In Manteca we only have the European wasp. Manteca in in the valley. To the east of us the foothills and mountains are. They have the yellow jackets and meat bees. Those meat bees are smaller and very aggressive when you are camping. I know that towards the end of there cycle they are very aggressive for anything. It was nice to share my story with you. Pat Santos
Hi Pat. Thanks for your comment and details on your wasp experiences. It is important to document all the wasp experiences we can, throughout the USA and the world, in order to better understand the current status of wasps. Science professionals no longer have the personnel or resources to properly document and study the nature around us - it'll be up to citizen scientists to fill that gap in the future through crowd-sourced collective knowledge sharing. This will likely be the way most learning will happen in the future. Keep it up!
So far this spring I saw 2 yellowjackets. One apparently hunting on the leaves of bushes next to my house. The other (or possibly the same one) seemed to be scouting close to the ground. I saw one bald face hornet collecting wood fibers but didn't see in what direction she flew. No nests on my house so it must be building one in the trees surrounding my property. I enjoy your videos very much!
Hi b860. Thanks for watching! Your yellowjackets sound like they're out foraging this Spring. Keep an eye out for nests in your area. It may be a native ground nesting species like Vespula Maculifrons or Vespula Squamosa if you often see them close to the ground in one localized area. Always good to see baldfaced hornets out and about this time of year. Great beneficial native species to have around!
Thank you for spreading correct information about wasps, i learned to distinguish wasps from my own research and personal experience. I also live in Europe (Greece specifically), so the species you show as invasive, are native here, when you talking about native and invasive species, it is important to declare your location, to avoid misunderstandings. Thanks for reading, keep up the great work.
Hi c9920. Thanks for your comment. Great point about declaring location for clarity whenever discussing invasive vs native species. Glad to have viewers from Greece on our channel!
In my house there is a wasp They are small they have trident-like marking on their head and 2 lines on their back and 2 lines on their abdomen Their nest is wood and some parts are covered in mud made by them what are they?
Hi A. Thanks for your comment/inquiry. Your wasps sound very interesting! We'd need some additional info before we can research what species of wasp you may have. What color are the wasps (head/thorax/body/antennae)? Are you certain they are building a paper nest (using wood fiber) and also building it with mud? Usually wasps choose one material or the other. Where are you located (country/region/climate)?
Hi raw7880. German Yellowjackets (Vespula Germanica) are an invasive species in North America. They are native to Europe/N. Africa/Asia. They got established in North America around the 1970's and have been aggressively expanding their populations since (likely to the detriment of our native wasps/insects/ecosystems). The American South, and also New Zealand/Australia, are especially having problems with V. Germanica as they start huge atypical perennial colonies in these warmer climates that become dangerous due to size (cold weather does not kill them off seasonally in warm climates like it would in most native climates). They usually have a small black rounded arrow pattern on their first tergum (first section of abdomen). They often nest in human structures in North America which also makes them a significant pest species. Eastern Yellowjackets are a beneficial native wasp in North America (Vespula Maculifrons). They typically nest in the ground in dug out animal burrows, tree hollows, etc., and to a lesser degree in structures compared to Germanica. They usually have a small sharper edged arrow pattern on their first tergum. That said, there are wide variations of terga markings amongst male/female/queen in most species so identifying yellowjackets definitively can be tricky at times. It pays to do heavy image research from good source material so you can get a solid look at the wide array of typical markings on each species.
Thanks for your comment. Always good to hear which species are being seen in various locations! If you're in the UK, look up "The Big Wasp Survey" and you can submit your local wasp observations/data directly to the universities studying wasps in the UK. This is a great citizen science program you can personally take part in.
@@greenwaspremoval UK has common wasps, German wasps and also European hornets. I haven’t seen yellow-legged “Asian” hornets yet since I heard “Asian” hornets launched in U.K. around 2017. But they are quite small than European hornets. I remembered saw Queen of Common Wasps always loved stay in my shed in 2000s. But that shed went ruined into pieces in few years.
You bring up a good point. Invasive Asian hornets of various species are becoming an issue in many countries. Here in the USA we've recently seen the invasive Asian Northern Giant Hornet (largest hornet species on earth) in the Pacific Northwest, and also the Asian Yellow-Legged Hornet was found in the South (state of Georgia). So it appears we will eventually have to deal with these invasive wasp species, although nobody knows how soon they will become a significant ecological problem. Government programs that encourage/facilitate reporting from citizens will be the key to tracking and monitoring invasive species in the future.
Alright, I think you’ve convinced me to not immediately break out the raid when seeing a yellowjacket. Hard to tell native yellowjackets from invasive ones though. Also, the paper wasps on my property appear to be almost exclusively European paper wasps. They seem to have displaced the native paper wasps in the immediate area of my property. I do still see native paper wasps around elsewhere in the area, but the paper wasps with nests on my house and in my fences are definitely European. Should I exterminate them? I’ve done so in the past when their nests have extended to areas where people frequent to reduce the chances of someone disturbing the nest and getting stung, but otherwise they aren’t aggressive, even when near their nests, so I mostly leave them be. The nests are mostly inside metal fences, and are probably quite large, so relocation and non-violent removal aren’t really an option
Hi bt777. Thanks for your comment. You bring up great points to consider. You are absolutely right about hesitating before using toxic poison on wasps. There are many better non-toxic alternatives (soap and water sprays, vacuum extraction, knocking down nests early in the spring, essential oil sprays, etc.). You are also quite correct that sometimes wasps are located in an unsafe place and they simply need to go before people get hurt. When this occurs, just use various non-toxic methods to remove them, no worries. They will set up somewhere else instead. The European Paper Wasp issue is also a good one to ponder. On one hand, they are invasive and do indeed seem to be displacing native wasp species in many areas. This could be very bad over time. On the other hand, the big unknown right now is exactly how this will effect the ecosystem in general. Will they simply pick up where our native wasps left off and continue with a balanced biological control of local pest insects? Or will they blow away so many local resources that we will see a major decline in many beneficial insect species locally due to their wider range of foraging habits? We experimented this season with capturing many of the European Paper Wasp queens on our property in the Spring to see if this would increase the viability of native wasp species in the area. We ultimately did seem to see more native wasps on our property, but mostly as foragers individually, as opposed to seeing more well established native nests. Bottom line is the European Paper Wasps on your property will definitely help reduce your pest bug populations all season. This is a good thing in general. So if they are not bothering you, it's probably best to let them stay since no other wasps are there to do that job right now. If you do remove them, we'd be interested to know if you see any native species moving back in season by season. One way to get them out of metal fences (assuming they are inside hollow rails and/or support bars/pipes) is to flush them out with soap and water. Use dish soap and a garden hose (or pressure washer), then treat the areas they like to nest in with concentrated essential oils. You can also fill the voids they nest in with materials like steel wool, plastic mesh, styrofoam, expanding spray foam, anything that fills the void and won't degrade easily over time.
I'm a bit confused because we just found what you describe as a yellow jacket nest in our shed wall, it's covered with an outer layer of paper, but it's definitely paper wasps that are living in it. Long dangling legs. Is it possible they took over the nest? Or maybe it's just a different species of paper wasp? Or maybe something else. We live in southern Canada.
@stephenstrange4444 - Thanks for your comment. What an interesting situation you seem to have discovered! Paper wasps typically do not live in abandoned yellowjacket nests, yet it is not impossible that they may try to find shelter there. You may also be seeing some type of mud/digger/flower wasps, which also fly with legs dangling down. We are not aware of any species of mud wasp or paper wasp that would cover its nest with an outer layer of paper envelope (typically only hornets (Vespa), yellowjackets (Vespula) and aerial yellowjackets (Dolichovespula) will cover their nest combs with outer envelope. So there is likely another explanation. That said, you never know - perhaps there is a crazy species of paper wasp that acts like yellowjackets up there in Canada. If you are able to film them close up, try to post some video on CZcams and send us the link and we'll try to help identify the species!
@@greenwaspremoval thanks for the response. It turns out we actually have 2 nests. The one I mentioned is a yellow jacket nest, and there's a paper wasp one higher up on the shed. So confusion solved.
The easiest way to catch wasps is to use a large bug/butterfly net which you can order online. Otherwise, any container with lid will do but you have to get closer that way so net is best to keep some distance. Don't want to get stung! Get adults to help and stay safe with full clothing, head covering, and gloves. Happy hunting!
@@greenwaspremovalIM A KID I CANT DO THAT I CANT ORDER ANYTHING BUT MY UNCLE FOUND A NATIVE WASP NEST THE SPECIES IS POLISTES DOMINULA CALLED EUROPEAN PAPER WASP WE KEPT IT WITH NEST IN THE JAR TO KEEP IT SAFE
Hi LB. Catching wasps in a container like you did with your uncle is a good technique we often use as well. Just take precautions so as not to get stung while collecting live wasp specimens (protective clothing, gloves, etc.).
Wasp: Who are you
Yellowjacket: I am you, but smaller
@thorthyim1530 - These wasps sure have similar colors! And they are both in the Hymenoptera order of insect species, along with bees, ants and sawflies. So they do have a lot in common.
Thanks for the updates, we live in Manteca,ca. before that we lived in South San Francisco,ca born and raised in San Francisco. In South San Francisco we had yellow jackets they built there nest in the trees in our backyard, sometimes they would be as big as a basketball. I remember I had waited until winter time and I took it down and cut a side out of there nest and it had 7-8 floors of catacombs in there. I have always been interested in where the bee or wasps are going back to there nest. In Manteca we only have the European wasp. Manteca in in the valley. To the east of us the foothills and mountains are. They have the yellow jackets and meat bees. Those meat bees are smaller and very aggressive when you are camping. I know that towards the end of there cycle they are very aggressive for anything. It was nice to share my story with you.
Pat Santos
Hi Pat. Thanks for your comment and details on your wasp experiences. It is important to document all the wasp experiences we can, throughout the USA and the world, in order to better understand the current status of wasps. Science professionals no longer have the personnel or resources to properly document and study the nature around us - it'll be up to citizen scientists to fill that gap in the future through crowd-sourced collective knowledge sharing. This will likely be the way most learning will happen in the future. Keep it up!
So far this spring I saw 2 yellowjackets. One apparently hunting on the leaves of bushes next to my house. The other (or possibly the same one) seemed to be scouting close to the ground. I saw one bald face hornet collecting wood fibers but didn't see in what direction she flew. No nests on my house so it must be building one in the trees surrounding my property. I enjoy your videos very much!
Hi b860. Thanks for watching! Your yellowjackets sound like they're out foraging this Spring. Keep an eye out for nests in your area. It may be a native ground nesting species like Vespula Maculifrons or Vespula Squamosa if you often see them close to the ground in one localized area. Always good to see baldfaced hornets out and about this time of year. Great beneficial native species to have around!
Thank you for spreading correct information about wasps, i learned to distinguish wasps from my own research and personal experience. I also live in Europe (Greece specifically), so the species you show as invasive, are native here, when you talking about native and invasive species, it is important to declare your location, to avoid misunderstandings. Thanks for reading, keep up the great work.
Hi c9920. Thanks for your comment. Great point about declaring location for clarity whenever discussing invasive vs native species. Glad to have viewers from Greece on our channel!
Great job of explaining
@patricksantos9979 - Hi p. Thanks for your comment. We appreciate your interest and support of our content. Stay tuned for a busy 2024 wasp season!
Great video!!
@slowjamcdub - Thanks for watching! Look out for more videos in 2024 as our wasp season gets rolling!
In my house there is a wasp
They are small they have trident-like marking on their head and 2 lines on their back and 2 lines on their abdomen
Their nest is wood and some parts are covered in mud made by them what are they?
Hi A. Thanks for your comment/inquiry. Your wasps sound very interesting! We'd need some additional info before we can research what species of wasp you may have. What color are the wasps (head/thorax/body/antennae)? Are you certain they are building a paper nest (using wood fiber) and also building it with mud? Usually wasps choose one material or the other. Where are you located (country/region/climate)?
Hey quick question, what's the difference between a german yellow jacket and eastern yellow jacket?
Hi raw7880. German Yellowjackets (Vespula Germanica) are an invasive species in North America. They are native to Europe/N. Africa/Asia. They got established in North America around the 1970's and have been aggressively expanding their populations since (likely to the detriment of our native wasps/insects/ecosystems). The American South, and also New Zealand/Australia, are especially having problems with V. Germanica as they start huge atypical perennial colonies in these warmer climates that become dangerous due to size (cold weather does not kill them off seasonally in warm climates like it would in most native climates). They usually have a small black rounded arrow pattern on their first tergum (first section of abdomen). They often nest in human structures in North America which also makes them a significant pest species. Eastern Yellowjackets are a beneficial native wasp in North America (Vespula Maculifrons). They typically nest in the ground in dug out animal burrows, tree hollows, etc., and to a lesser degree in structures compared to Germanica. They usually have a small sharper edged arrow pattern on their first tergum. That said, there are wide variations of terga markings amongst male/female/queen in most species so identifying yellowjackets definitively can be tricky at times. It pays to do heavy image research from good source material so you can get a solid look at the wide array of typical markings on each species.
Saw Queen of German Wasp in east from London, UK (Aperil 2024).
Thanks for your comment. Always good to hear which species are being seen in various locations! If you're in the UK, look up "The Big Wasp Survey" and you can submit your local wasp observations/data directly to the universities studying wasps in the UK. This is a great citizen science program you can personally take part in.
@@greenwaspremoval UK has common wasps, German wasps and also European hornets. I haven’t seen yellow-legged “Asian” hornets yet since I heard “Asian” hornets launched in U.K. around 2017. But they are quite small than European hornets. I remembered saw Queen of Common Wasps always loved stay in my shed in 2000s. But that shed went ruined into pieces in few years.
You bring up a good point. Invasive Asian hornets of various species are becoming an issue in many countries. Here in the USA we've recently seen the invasive Asian Northern Giant Hornet (largest hornet species on earth) in the Pacific Northwest, and also the Asian Yellow-Legged Hornet was found in the South (state of Georgia). So it appears we will eventually have to deal with these invasive wasp species, although nobody knows how soon they will become a significant ecological problem. Government programs that encourage/facilitate reporting from citizens will be the key to tracking and monitoring invasive species in the future.
Alright, I think you’ve convinced me to not immediately break out the raid when seeing a yellowjacket. Hard to tell native yellowjackets from invasive ones though. Also, the paper wasps on my property appear to be almost exclusively European paper wasps. They seem to have displaced the native paper wasps in the immediate area of my property. I do still see native paper wasps around elsewhere in the area, but the paper wasps with nests on my house and in my fences are definitely European. Should I exterminate them? I’ve done so in the past when their nests have extended to areas where people frequent to reduce the chances of someone disturbing the nest and getting stung, but otherwise they aren’t aggressive, even when near their nests, so I mostly leave them be. The nests are mostly inside metal fences, and are probably quite large, so relocation and non-violent removal aren’t really an option
Hi bt777. Thanks for your comment. You bring up great points to consider. You are absolutely right about hesitating before using toxic poison on wasps. There are many better non-toxic alternatives (soap and water sprays, vacuum extraction, knocking down nests early in the spring, essential oil sprays, etc.). You are also quite correct that sometimes wasps are located in an unsafe place and they simply need to go before people get hurt. When this occurs, just use various non-toxic methods to remove them, no worries. They will set up somewhere else instead. The European Paper Wasp issue is also a good one to ponder. On one hand, they are invasive and do indeed seem to be displacing native wasp species in many areas. This could be very bad over time. On the other hand, the big unknown right now is exactly how this will effect the ecosystem in general. Will they simply pick up where our native wasps left off and continue with a balanced biological control of local pest insects? Or will they blow away so many local resources that we will see a major decline in many beneficial insect species locally due to their wider range of foraging habits? We experimented this season with capturing many of the European Paper Wasp queens on our property in the Spring to see if this would increase the viability of native wasp species in the area. We ultimately did seem to see more native wasps on our property, but mostly as foragers individually, as opposed to seeing more well established native nests. Bottom line is the European Paper Wasps on your property will definitely help reduce your pest bug populations all season. This is a good thing in general. So if they are not bothering you, it's probably best to let them stay since no other wasps are there to do that job right now. If you do remove them, we'd be interested to know if you see any native species moving back in season by season. One way to get them out of metal fences (assuming they are inside hollow rails and/or support bars/pipes) is to flush them out with soap and water. Use dish soap and a garden hose (or pressure washer), then treat the areas they like to nest in with concentrated essential oils. You can also fill the voids they nest in with materials like steel wool, plastic mesh, styrofoam, expanding spray foam, anything that fills the void and won't degrade easily over time.
I'm a bit confused because we just found what you describe as a yellow jacket nest in our shed wall, it's covered with an outer layer of paper, but it's definitely paper wasps that are living in it. Long dangling legs. Is it possible they took over the nest? Or maybe it's just a different species of paper wasp? Or maybe something else. We live in southern Canada.
@stephenstrange4444 - Thanks for your comment. What an interesting situation you seem to have discovered! Paper wasps typically do not live in abandoned yellowjacket nests, yet it is not impossible that they may try to find shelter there. You may also be seeing some type of mud/digger/flower wasps, which also fly with legs dangling down. We are not aware of any species of mud wasp or paper wasp that would cover its nest with an outer layer of paper envelope (typically only hornets (Vespa), yellowjackets (Vespula) and aerial yellowjackets (Dolichovespula) will cover their nest combs with outer envelope. So there is likely another explanation. That said, you never know - perhaps there is a crazy species of paper wasp that acts like yellowjackets up there in Canada. If you are able to film them close up, try to post some video on CZcams and send us the link and we'll try to help identify the species!
@@greenwaspremoval thanks for the response. It turns out we actually have 2 nests. The one I mentioned is a yellow jacket nest, and there's a paper wasp one higher up on the shed. So confusion solved.
HOW CAN I CATCH WASPS
The easiest way to catch wasps is to use a large bug/butterfly net which you can order online. Otherwise, any container with lid will do but you have to get closer that way so net is best to keep some distance. Don't want to get stung! Get adults to help and stay safe with full clothing, head covering, and gloves. Happy hunting!
@@greenwaspremovalIM A KID I CANT DO THAT I CANT ORDER ANYTHING BUT MY UNCLE FOUND A NATIVE WASP NEST THE SPECIES IS POLISTES DOMINULA CALLED EUROPEAN PAPER WASP WE KEPT IT WITH NEST IN THE JAR TO KEEP IT SAFE
Hi LB. Catching wasps in a container like you did with your uncle is a good technique we often use as well. Just take precautions so as not to get stung while collecting live wasp specimens (protective clothing, gloves, etc.).
@@greenwaspremoval IM HAVE BECOME 9 YEARS OLD
We are glad to see young people on our channel who take an interest in wasps! Have a great 9th year!