Common Types of Wasps in Denver
Ideally, the first step to pest control is identifying the particular type of insect that is nagging you. Then you can find an appropriate way of dealing with it. At the moment, there are four main species of wasps you'll find in the Denver area.
Yellow Jackets
Distinguished by their distinct yellow and black markings on their bodies, yellow jackets are arguably the most aggressive stinging insects you'll find out there. They're also defined by large colonies, which grow to be extremely large during the summertime.
As you may expect, yellow jackets have a major hand in most stinging related incidences in Denver. Usually, they build their nests under the ground in spaces between rocks and abandoned rodent holes. For food, worker-wasps forage from trash and leftovers in early summer. In late summer, males mate with fertile females, who then hibernate through the winter and start new colonies. The old queens and workers are forced to leave the colony. They rarely survive the winter.
Bald-faced Hornets
Bald-faced hornets are like yellow jackets' larger cousins; only, in this case, they have black and white markings on their bodies. They take on the name hornet because of their size and habits while nesting.
Unlike the yellow jackets, the hornets build their nests in shrubs and trees. Typically, these nests will be oval-shaped made of papery looking material. Most bald-faced nests will be built each season afresh then completely abandoned by the late fall.
Paper Wasps
Paper wasps look similar to yellow jackets but are smaller. Depending on the type of paper wasp, they may be yellow, orange, reddish-brown or dark red with brown wings. Their nests are open-faced and have hexagonal cells. You'll usually find them along playground equipment, soffit areas, and small cavities. Unlike its counterparts, the paper wasp is not that aggressive. However, it can still sting if provoked. Like the other wasp species, paper wasps abandon their nests in the late fall. However, in this case, new queens may build new nests in the same location the following season.
Mud dauber wasps
Mud dauber wasps are black with yellow bands across their legs and body. However, they stand out with distinctively thin bodies, usually separated by an elongated divide between their thorax and abdomen. Mud dauber wasps are the most solitary of the four species. They are not as aggressive as well but can sting if provoked. As their name suggests, mud dauber wasp's build their homes as cells of mud. You'll find them in corners of buildings, under eves and cracks, among other protected areas.
