Types of Wasps
Wasps get a bad name from a handful of aggressive picnic-raiders, but most are solitary, harmless, and quietly useful, hunting caterpillars and other pests to feed their young. Many are important pollinators too. Here are the wasps in the Huck field guide, with how to identify each.
8 wasps in the Huck field guide. Tap any one for identification, habitat, diet, and a live sightings map.
Not sure which wasp you found?
Point Huck at it. One photo identifies it on the spot, and adds it to your collection.
Get Huck - freeCommon questions
What is the difference between a wasp, a hornet and a yellowjacket?
Hornets and yellowjackets are both kinds of wasp. Yellowjackets are the small black-and-yellow ones that come to food and nest in the ground or in cavities; hornets are larger and build the big papery aerial nests. Most other wasps are solitary and far less defensive.
Are wasps good for anything?
A great deal. Predatory wasps control huge numbers of caterpillars, aphids and flies, which is why they are used in farming as natural pest control, and many visit flowers and help pollinate. Only around the nest, or at the end of summer, do the social ones turn pushy.