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What are wasps?
Wasps are a type of stinging insect. Most species of wasps are predators, killing and feeding on a variety of garden pests, cicada bugs, spiders, and other insects in order to feed their larvae. Adult wasps typically feed on nectar and play a role in some pollination, so they are considered to be beneficial to the environment when living outdoors.
Some of the most common species of wasps that live throughout our area of Ventura County are listed below:
Cicada killer
Cicada killer wasps are a large species of wasps. Their bodies are red and black with a yellow band around their abdomens, their heads are reddish-brown, and their wings and antennae are tinted yellow.
Ground wasps
Ground wasps are usually identified by their nests that are located in the ground. One of the most common species of ground-nesting wasps are yellow jackets. Yellow jackets have a distinctive yellow and black-striped pattern covering their abdomens.
Mud daubers
Mud daubers are a large species of wasps build their distinctive nests out of mud. They have narrow waists with a thread-like segment between their thoraxes and abdomens. Mud daubers can grow to between 1-1/2 and 2 inches long. They are black in color but some may have a metallic blue sheen.
Paper wasps
Paper wasps are large wasps that have pinched waist and six long, thin legs that dangle below their bodies when in flight. Their wings are gray and their bodies are black or brown with yellow or orange markings. Additionally, paper wasps are commonly identified by their umbrella-shaped nests.