Local wasp information

Wasp control in Florida

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Wasps in Florida: what to know

Around Florida

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see wasps, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Wasps in Florida: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which wasps actually live in Florida, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

over 2800 wasps present

Largest Florida yellowjacket nest documented by UF/IFAS

Florida ground nests can be far larger than northern ones.

UF/IFAS EDIS

about 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in height

Florida aerial yellowjacket nest height (UF/IFAS)

Perennial-scale nests exist in Florida and need professional removal.

UF/IFAS EDIS

Wasp species recorded in Florida

Eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) — UF/IFAS lists it with the southern yellowjacket as Florida's two yellowjackets; OSU lists it for Ohio; Texas A&M notes it is 'generally found in eastern Texas'. Ground nests 9.5…
Southern yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa) — Texas A&M: 'Colonies can contain up to 4,000 workers', 'In Texas, some colonies can survive for several years and continue to grow', and southern colonies '6 ft across' have bee…
Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) — Penn State: 'found in most of the 48 contiguous states and D.C., throughout Canada and in Alaska'; actually an aerial yellowjacket that builds the football-shaped gray paper nes…
European hornet (Vespa crabro) — Penn State: 'first detected in the 1840s', 'well established in the eastern United States', 'first reported from Arkansas in 1999'; workers 'up to an inch (25 mm) long', nests '…

When wasps are busiest in Florida

UF/IFAS: 'Colonies are founded in the spring by a single queen' and 'With winter's arrival, the remaining colony dies', though UC IPM notes colonies can persist several years where winters are very mild.

UF/IFAS identifies Florida's two yellowjackets as the eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) and the southern yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa). One southern yellowjacket ground nest measured 20 cm wide by 20 cm deep, 22.5 cm below the soil surface.

Rules that apply in Florida

For context, nationally

788 — Deaths from hornet, wasp, and bee stings, 2011–2021 (US). CDC MMWR
72 deaths per year — Average annual sting deaths, 2011–2021 (US). CDC MMWR

Sources: Yellowjackets and Hornets, Vespula and Dolichovespula spp. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae); CDC MMWR; Southern Yellowjackets - Field Guide to Common Texas Insects; Baldfaced Hornet; European Hornet. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Florida cities

Boca Raton

Tropical · suburban setting

Wasp control in Florida

Wasps in Florida: what to know

Around Florida

What to note

A useful next step

Wasps in Florida: what the public record shows

Wasp species recorded in Florida

When wasps are busiest in Florida

Rules that apply in Florida

For context, nationally

Explore Florida cities

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Ask about wasp control in Florida