Ground wasps can be like secret, silent spies hiding underneath your yard. Most often disturbed when you’re mowing the grass or trimming weeds, ground wasps can swarm suddenly, seeming to come from nowhere. Use this guide to identify ground wasps, avoid surprises, and assess whether you need a professional service for wasp removal in Georgetown. 

What Do Ground Wasps Look Like? 

Ground wasps have a distinctive appearance. If you see one but have not seen an above-ground nest in your eaves or overhangs, it’s time to start thinking about where, in the ground, they are living. Some ground wasps are commonly known as yellow jackets for their bands of black and yellow stripes along their thorax and abdomen. Others such as the great golden digger wasp have black and orange colours. 

Where Are They Found?

As their name suggests, ground wasps enjoy living in cool, dark areas such as underneath rotten wood, in burrows, tunnels, and other underground hideaways. It is fairly easy to see where they are entering the ground, once you know what to look for. If you see piles of conical dirt with a large hole at the top, this is likely a ground wasp nest.

They will live in your yard, but not necessarily always underground. They also build their homes underneath shrubs, bushes, woodpiles, and near sugary foods. Compost bins are attractive to ground wasps, so look underneath and nearby for the tell-tale cone of dirt with a hole in the top. 

Why Are They Called Ground Wasps?

The main reason for their name is to differentiate them from paper wasps that build their visible hexagonal honeycomb nests in the corners of porches and roofs. When you try to trace the wasps back to their home and do not find a hanging nest, the alternative explanation is that they live in or near the ground. 

Why Do They Burrow in the Ground?

Ground wasps burrow because it is safer, and they can have much larger hives if their nests are not visible. A paper wasp or red wasp can only build a nest up to a certain size and weight before it falls down or gets noticed and knocked down by a human. Wasps that burrow in the ground can basically just keep digging and tunnelling as far as they need to, to accommodate the size of their colony. By living underground, they also avoid other common predators such as birds, dragonflies, and moths. 

How Do They Differ From Other Wasps?

Several other types of wasps are in the same family as ground wasps. One major difference is their size. Scoliid wasps have bodies of approximately 3/4 of an inch long, whereas cicada killer wasps’ bodies are two inches long. Red wasps have black and burgundy bodies but tend to nest and live in plain sight. If you knock down a red wasp nest, they will build it somewhere else, but you won’t be surprised by them coming up from the yard if you’re mowing or gardening. 

Trust Truly Nolen for Professional Wasp Removal in Georgetown

We have been helping homeowners rid their properties of pests for decades. Use our website to request a free estimate of what it may cost to remove ground wasps from your yard. Once we have completed the assessment and let you know our course of action, we offer a satisfaction guarantee. We will unconditionally treat the affected property as many times as it takes to meet your expectations. We will also come back during each new season of the year to ensure there is no new infestation of wasps.