When you think of wasps, you probably think about trying to enjoy food or drink outside on a warm fall day and being bothered by yellowjackets. Maybe you think of getting stung. These experiences are common and make it easier to disregard (or disdain) a class of insects that do Minnesotans a lot of good.
Wasps: More than an outdoor dining pest
Minnesotans have an appreciation for the wide diversity of bees in Minnesota. Wasps have similar diversity and arguably provide even more beneficial services than bees.
The yellowjackets and paper wasps that spike many people’s anxiety are only a small portion of the wasp species seen in Minnesota.
Wasps include more than yellowjackets and hornets. Like bees, some wasps are social and live in colonies, while others are solitary. There are approximately 103,000 species of wasps in the world. Only 1,000 of these are social, while the others are either solitary or parasitoids that provide essential control of unwanted pests.
These wasps help the world’s ecosystems function, as wasps pollinate flowers, control pests, spread seeds and help decompose carcasses. In other parts of the world, they are eaten as a delicacy.
Wasps are pollinators
Wasps’ fuzzier relatives, bees, often get credit for all pollination. Studies have shown that wasps are also effective pollinators, and in some cases, they even step in to pollinate plants when bees are absent.
Great black wasps are solitary wasps responsible for some pollination in Minnesota, and are often found on flowers.
Wasps help control garden pests
Many wasp species feed on a wide variety of food sources, ranging from nectar and pollen to other insects. Some wasps are highly targeted in their hunting, seeking out and feeding on only one species of insect. Other species of wasps are generalists, meaning they will feed on whatever insects are available.
Social wasps, such as yellowjackets and hornets, feed on a wide variety of insects. Research has found that social wasps consume flies, caterpillars, beetles, and other similar prey. One study in New Zealand attempted to determine the quantity of insects a species of social wasps was hunting and consuming, ultimately estimating that the wasp colonies were consuming an average of 2.12 pounds of insects per 2.47 acres.
Solitary wasps may feed on other insects, too. The great black wasp is also called a cricket or katydid wasp, because they feed their young crickets and katydids.
Wasps help control invasive species
Emerald ash borer is an invasive pest with significant consequences for Minnesota’s forests and neighborhoods. Many cities and neighborhoods proactively remove or treat their ash trees to protect the trees, people and property from this pest. One option for longer-term control and slowing the spread, especially in Minnesota’s forests, is the use of parasitoid wasps.
Parasitoid wasps have a specialized life cycle. They target another species of insect and lay their eggs inside of them. After the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the other insect from the inside out, killing the host insect when they become adults.
These wasps are great at controlling pests because they are often specialized to lay eggs on a singular species. A bonus is that they are small and solitary, which means they aren’t defensive of a colony, do not sting humans, and aren’t usually noticed by people.
Three parasitoid wasp species have been released in Minnesota to try to control emerald ash borer.
Similar efforts are underway to find wasps that can help manage another unwelcome fall visitor, the brown marmorated stinkbug, as well as the berry menace, the spotted wing drosophila.
Social wasps can be a nuisance
The only wasps bothering you in the fall are a small subset of Minnesota wasps, the social wasps.
Unlike honeybees, where the goal of their society is to have all members make it through the winter, only a yellowjacket queen makes it through winter. By the time fall rolls around, the wasp colony contains thousands of members, and food supplies often aren’t adequate. This leads workers to aggressively scavenge for food, which frequently results in them buzzing around our food.
It is easier to modify our behaviors than get the wasps to modify theirs. Keeping calm and ignoring the wasps limits potential stings.
How to control wasps near your home
Winter and early spring are good times of year to keep an eye out for yellowjacket nests, as they start small and will be much easier to deal with than if you try to tackle the problem later in the year. For tips on removing different types of wasp nests, see our page on wasps and bees.
Social wasp colonies survive only one year. The workers die in freezing temperatures, while mated queens leave their old nests and search for protective places to spend the winter. This means winter is a great time to remove visible wasp nests, because they are vacant at that point.
What about “murder hornets”?
The northern giant hornet (aka murder hornet) has not been found in Minnesota. It was found in 2019, in a small area of Washington state, but has since been eradicated.
Some native insects may seem similar. The cicada killer wasp is also very large. Cicada killer wasps are not dangerous, despite their intimidating appearance. Females don’t instinctively protect their nests and generally ignore people. They can sting, but only do so if threatened. Males display aggressive behavior, but lack a stinger. Cicada killer wasps play a role in our Minnesota ecosystems by bringing cicadas down into their nests in the soil and feeding on them.
Reviewed in 2025