# Wow, wasp stings HURT!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-wasp-stings-hurt/800154>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 29, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-wasp-stings-hurt/800154 "2017-10-29T16:29:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-wasp-stings-hurt/800154/21 "2017-10-30T20:17:35Z")

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> [@Jennshark](#):
>
> Is there a difference between wasps and yellow jackets? I assume the sniper who got me was a wasp due to the nearby (abandoned) nest. But they are different bugs (hymentropa), yes?

All Yellow Jackets are wasps, but not all wasps are Yellow Jackets.  
The “traditional” Yellow Jacket is a smaller, fuzzy, ground-nesting wasp. They will come “boiling” up out of a hole in the ground and attack if you get too close. The wasps that build nests under the eves, or in plants are “Paper” wasps, call such because they make their nests out of a paper they produce from plant material. They look somewhat similar, but Yellow Jackets are more bee-like in appearance, and paper wasps have a distinctive legs-down flying position.

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**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-wasp-stings-hurt/800154/22 "2017-10-30T20:19:43Z")

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> [@Jennshark](#):
>
> Is there a difference between wasps and yellow jackets? I assume the sniper who got me was a wasp due to the nearby (abandoned) nest. But they are different bugs (hymentropa), yes?

as far as I can tell, “Yellow jacket” can refer to a number of different species. German wasps, aerial yellowjackets, Eastern yellowjackets, Common wasps, etc. All a bit different in size and nesting behavior.

and all of them are ill-tempered little shits.

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**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-wasp-stings-hurt/800154/23 "2017-10-30T20:27:00Z")

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> [@Jennshark](#):
>
> Is there a difference between wasps and yellow jackets? I assume the sniper who got me was a wasp due to the nearby (abandoned) nest. But they are different bugs (hymentropa), yes?

[A yellowjacket is a type of wasp.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowjacket)

Edit: ninja’d by…everyone.

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**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-wasp-stings-hurt/800154/24 "2017-10-31T08:10:40Z")

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Now is the time to bring up the [Schmidt Sting Pain Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmidt_sting_pain_index).

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