How to Identify Wasp Nests Around Your Home

As New York homeowners, we all love enjoying our backyards, but uninvited guests like wasps can quickly turn outdoor relaxation into a stressful situation. Knowing how to identify wasp nests is crucial for your family's safety and peace of mind. Not all nests are created equal, and understanding the differences can help you take the right steps.

What to Look For: The Key Signs of a Wasp Nest

Beyond just seeing a few buzzing around, serval key indicators suggest a nest nearby. Keep an eye out for:

• Increased Wasp Activity: This is often the most obvious sign. If you notice a consistent stream of wasp flying in and out of a specific area of your home, it is often a strong indicator of a nearby nest.
• Visible Nest: Keep an eye out for a tell-tale papery, grayish-brown or a mud tube nest in trees, eaves, bushes and the sides of your home.
• Buzzing Sounds: If you hear persistent buzzing or rustling sound coming from your walls, attic, or other enclosed spaces within your home, it's a strong indicator or an active wasp nest.

Common Wasp Nest on Long Island and Queens, NY

Long island is home to several types of wasps, each with distinct nest characteristics. Being able to differentiate them is key for a proper wasp nest identification.

Paper Wasps' Nest

Paper wasp nests are umbrella-shaped or fan-shaped. What makes them unique is that you can see the individual, open cells (like a honeycomb) where the wasps raise their young. The material is grayish-brown and has a papery, almost chewed-wood texture, resembling papier-mache. Paper wasps are generally less aggressive than yellow jackets but will sting if they are disturbed.

• Size: While they might start small (about the size of a golf ball), these nests nest can grow significantly throughout the summer, reaching the size of a frisbee or even larger.

• Common locations: You'll frequently find these nests hanging in sheltered, elevated home throughout your home. Look under the eaves of your roof, on porch ceilings, inside sheds, beneath deck railings, or even attached to sturdy tree branches. They prefer places that offer protection from the rain and wind.

Yellow Jackets' Nest

These are often the most problematic for homeowners due to their aggressive nature and tendency to build nests in hidden locations. Yellowjacket nests are enclosed in papery, grayish-brown envelope, making the internal comb invisible. They can be found:

• Underground: Look for wasps disappearing into or hovering around a small hole in your lawn or garden. There might be a cone-shaped pile of dirt around the entrance.

• In Wall Voids or Attics: If you hear buzzing within your walls or attic, it could be a yellow jacket nest. They can even chew through drywall to access living spaces.

• In Bushes or Shrubs: Occasionally, they'll build nests in overgrown vegetation.

Bald-Faced Hornets' Nest

For New York homeowners, spotting an unfamiliar, large aerial nest can be unsettling. If it's a bald-faced hornets' nest, it's unique appearance makes it relatively easy to identify, and important for safety.

• Shape & Size: The nests are large, enclosed and football shaped. They can reach the size of a basketball or larger by late summer.

• Color and Material: The nest is built from chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva, resulting in grayish, papery material with swirling patterns. Unlike other wasp nests, the inside comb is completely hidden.

• Common Hiding Spots: The nest is built in an elevated, protected spots. You'll most often notice the nest hanging high in trees, firmly attached to robust branches, or securely fastened to the eaves, overhangs, and sides of buildings around homes.

• Danger Sign: Bald-faced hornets are highly defensive of their nests. They'll aggressively sting if disturbed. For New York homeowners, DIY wasp nest removal very dangerous. Always call a professional pest control company to safely remove the nest.