Wasps in Texas

Wasps, like bees, hornets, and yellow jackets, are a type of stinging insect. Stinging insects are identified by having a venom-filled stinger that they use to paralyze their prey with or as a means of defense. Wasps are hunters and use their stinger for both hunting and protection. Wasps, like other stinging insects, are eco-important pests. These predators help to control populations of nuisance and garden insects.

One of the more common species of wasps living in our area is the paper wasp. Paper wasps have a distinctive pinched waist and long thin legs that hang below their body as they fly. They have grayish wings and a black or brown body- depending on the species, they often have yellow or orange markings. Their upside-down umbrella-shaped nests identify these wasps that they hang from tree branches and other aerial locations.

Are Wasps Dangerous?

Wasps nesting in your yard in high traffic areas pose a risk to you, your family, and your pets. Wasps possess venom that is strong enough to trigger allergic reactions in susceptible people. The presence of wasps is even more dangerous because they have a smooth stinger and can deliver multiple stings, injecting more venom with each sting.

Why Do I Have a Wasp Problem?

Wasps have the potential to become a problem on any property that offers them a suitable place to build a nest and plenty of places to forage for food. People see wasps out and about in their highest numbers in the summer and late fall when they are out in full force gathering food to bring back to the nest.

Areas that provide food for wasps include gardens, overgrown vegetation, trees, and shrubbery-all places many species of insects and spiders live. They may also forage for food in trash cans, compost piles, and around outdoor eating areas.