Hornet Nest vs Wasp Nest — Telling Them Apart in New Hampshire
TL;DR
Three silhouettes settle the question every time: an enclosed gray football envelope with one bottom hole (bald-faced hornet or European hornet), an open downward-facing umbrella comb where you can see straight into the hexagonal cells (paper wasp), and a concealed papery nest inside a wall void or underground that you cannot see at all — only wasps streaming in and out of a gap (yellowjacket or European hornet). Open comb is lower risk and sometimes DIY-able when small; the enclosed football and the hidden void both require a licensed professional. Never seal the entrance to a concealed nest.
Bald-faced hornet nest max diameter
Up to 360 mm (14 in)
Egg-shaped paper nests up to 360 mm diameter; Wikipedia
Bald-faced hornet nest max length
Up to 580 mm (23 in)
Wikipedia — bald-faced hornet nest dimensions
Bald-faced hornet colony size
400–700 workers
Wikipedia — Dolichovespula maculata colony
Paper wasp nest structure
Open single-layer comb, no envelope — cells visible from below
UNH Cooperative Extension; Cornell CALS NYS IPM
Three nest shapes — that is the entire identification
Most homeowners asking 'hornet nest vs wasp nest' are really asking one of three practical questions: Can I see into it? Is it a big sealed ball? Or are there wasps disappearing into a hole in my wall with no nest visible at all? Those three situations map exactly to the three nest types you will encounter in New Hampshire — and each one calls for a different response.
The open, downward-facing umbrella of hexagonal cells on a single stalk is a paper wasp nest. No outer shell wraps it, so you can count the cells from ten feet away. The colony inside is small — typically dozens of workers — and the nest is the least dangerous social wasp structure you can find. A small, low nest early in the season is sometimes DIY-able; a large or high one is a professional job.
The smooth gray football or teardrop hanging from a branch, eave, or roof peak — sealed completely with one hole near the bottom — is built by the bald-faced hornet (technically a yellowjacket, not a true hornet) or, less commonly, a colony of yellowjackets in an elevated void. Inside are 400–700 defenders ready to sting repeatedly and aggressively. Professional removal is the only sensible path.
The situation where you see wasps streaming in and out of a crack in your siding, a soffit gap, or a nickel-sized hole in the lawn, with no nest visible at all, is the most dangerous precisely because you cannot judge the size of the colony. This is almost always a yellowjacket or European hornet inside a wall void or underground chamber. Never seal that entrance — trapped workers chew inward through drywall into living space.
This page walks through all three shapes, explains the NH-specific context (including why the European hornet's cavity nest looks nothing like the bald-faced hornet's exposed football), and tells you exactly when each situation warrants a call to Anchor Pest Services.
Wasp and hornet nests in southern and central New Hampshire
All three nest silhouettes appear across Anchor's service area — Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Derry, Bedford, Salem, Hudson, and the surrounding Rockingham, Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Strafford county communities. Paper wasp umbrella combs are the most common, found under eaves, soffits, porch ceilings, grill lids, playsets, and mailboxes across every NH city Anchor serves. Bald-faced hornet football nests appear on trees and roof peaks from late June through October, growing from tennis-ball size in early summer to basketball size by peak season in August and September. NH's only true hornet, the European hornet (Vespa crabro), nests inside cavities — hollow trees, barn walls, and house wall voids — building coarse, tan, paper-like material often visible right at the cavity opening. It is established across NH but less commonly encountered than paper wasps and bald-faced hornets. Unlike other NH stinging insects, the European hornet forages at night and is frequently the 'big wasp hitting my porch light in October' that homeowners report. All of these nests are annual. Colonies collapse at the first hard frost — for Manchester and southern NH, NOAA 1991–2020 normals put that date at roughly October 19 (50% probability) or October 29 (80%). Concord and the Lakes Region frost earlier, typically in early October. After the frost, worker wasps die; only newly mated queens from the paper wasp and yellowjacket colonies survive to overwinter in sheltered spots. Old nests are never reused, though a queen may build near a favorable old site the following spring.
Species present in NH
- Northern paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus)
- European paper wasp (Polistes dominula)
- Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata)
- Eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons)
- European hornet (Vespa crabro)
Peak activity
August through mid-September
Service area
First-frost anchor: Manchester first hard frost ~Oct 19 (50%) / Oct 29 (80%) per NOAA 1991–2020 normals
Per UNH Cooperative Extension, paper wasp nests are open paper combs with no outer envelope; colonies collapse at the first hard frost and old nests are never reused.
Wasp nest vs. Hornet nest
Three silhouettes decide everything — and only one of them is a true hornet's. The open downward umbrella comb where you can see straight into the hexagonal cells is a paper wasp nest. The smooth gray football sealed with a single bottom hole belongs to the bald-faced hornet — except the bald-faced hornet is taxonomically a yellowjacket, not a true hornet. The concealed papery nest hidden in a wall void, attic, or underground chamber, with no visible structure but a steady stream of wasps at the entrance, is a yellowjacket or European hornet colony. New Hampshire's only true hornet, the European hornet (Vespa crabro), does not build the exposed football — it nests in cavities like hollow trees and barn walls using coarse, tan paper, often visible right at the opening. The fastest question to ask in front of any nest: can you see the cells? If yes, paper wasp. If it is a sealed ball, bald-faced hornet or yellowjacket. If there is no nest visible at all, concealed colony — call a pro and never seal the entrance.
NH clarification: The European hornet (Vespa crabro) IS in New Hampshire and IS a true hornet — it builds coarse, tan, paper-like nests inside protected cavities (hollow trees, barns, wall voids, attics), often right at the cavity opening rather than deep inside. Workers are roughly 25 mm (1.0 inch) long; queens reach 35 mm (1.4 inches), making the European hornet the largest stinging insect in the state. It has been established in North America since about 1840 and is the only member of the genus Vespa — the only true hornets — found in North America. The famous exposed gray football, by contrast, belongs to the bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata), which is taxonomically a yellowjacket, not a true hornet. For the full insect-side breakdown of wasp vs hornet taxonomy, see /wasp-species/wasp-vs-hornet.
| Attribute | Wasp nest | Hornet nest |
|---|---|---|
| EnvelopeThe single fastest tell: visible cells = paper wasp; sealed surface = hornet or yellowjacket | None — open single-layer comb; cells face downward and are visible from below | Full gray paper envelope (bald-faced hornet) or coarse tan paper at a tree hollow or wall cavity opening (European hornet) |
| Shape'Football' means enclosed colony; 'umbrella' means open paper wasp comb | Upside-down umbrella on a single pencil-thin stalk (petiole) | Football or teardrop (bald-faced), or a concealed papery mass inside a cavity (European hornet) |
| EntranceOne bottom hole is the signature of an enclosed, high-risk nest | Open cells — no single door; the whole face of the comb is accessible | Single hole near the bottom of the envelope (bald-faced); cavity opening or gap (European hornet / yellowjacket void nest) |
| LocationNH attachment points differ by maker — the 'gap with wasps' scenario is always yellowjacket or European hornet | Eaves, soffits, porch ceilings, grill lids, playsets, mailboxes, door frames | Tree branches and roof peaks (bald-faced); hollow trees, barns, wall voids, attics (European hornet); underground or wall voids (yellowjacket) |
| Visible cellsIf you can count the cells, it is a paper wasp; if not, the colony could be far larger than it looks | Yes — you can count every cell from a few feet away | No — hidden completely by the envelope |
| Colony sizeThe enclosed nest hides a colony many times larger than a paper wasp's — dramatically raising the sting risk if disturbed | Small — typically 20 to 75 cells at peak season | Large — bald-faced hornet colonies reach 400 to 700 workers at peak; yellowjacket void nests can exceed 1,000 |
| MaterialAll are 'paper' — shape and visibility, not material, separate them | Chewed wood-pulp paper mixed with saliva — typically gray-brown and thin | Chewed wood-pulp paper — smooth, gray, and thicker-walled (bald-faced); coarser, tan, and rougher-textured (European hornet) |
| Aggression when disturbed (1–5)Enclosed colonies defend far more fiercely; the risk scales with colony size | 2 — defends only at close range, within a foot or two of the nest | 3–4 — bald-faced hornets and yellowjackets defend aggressively and can sting repeatedly; bald-faced hornets documented to spray venom toward intruders' eyes |
| Sting — Schmidt indexPer single sting, the paper wasp is more painful; the enclosed hornet/yellowjacket stings in numbers and repeatedly | 3.0 — 'Caustic and burning; distinctly bitter aftertaste' (Britannica) | ~2.0 — bald-faced hornet and European hornet both rate 2.0 on the Schmidt scale (Britannica / Wikipedia) |
| Removal recommendationEnclosed and concealed nests are the definitive 'call a pro' cases | DIY-able when small (golf-ball or smaller) and low, per UNH guidance; professional for larger, high, or enclosed nests | Professional only — enclosed football and concealed void or underground nests are not safe DIY projects; never seal the entrance |
Defense on disturbance
Wasp nest: Paper wasps defend their small open comb only at close range — generally within a foot or two. Workers may fly at an intruder as a warning before stinging, and the colony can retreat when the threat passes.
Hornet nest: Bald-faced hornet colonies defend aggressively across a wider radius, sting repeatedly, and are documented to spray venom toward intruders' eyes. Concealed yellowjacket or European hornet void nests are the hardest to judge because the colony size is invisible — disturbance triggers an immediate mass response.
How you find it
Wasp nest: You almost always SEE the paper wasp umbrella — it hangs visibly under an eave, on a porch ceiling, or on outdoor furniture. The nest is the first thing you notice.
Hornet nest: You find a concealed yellowjacket or European hornet nest by the traffic at its entrance, not the nest itself. Wasps streaming in and out of a wall gap, soffit crack, or lawn hole with no visible structure means a hidden colony that could number in the hundreds.
Seasonality and frost collapse
Wasp nest: Paper wasp nests are annual — the colony builds from a single foundress queen in April or May, peaks in late August and September, then collapses at the first hard frost. In Manchester and southern NH that frost falls around October 19 to 29 per NOAA normals. The old nest is never reused.
Hornet nest: Bald-faced hornet, yellowjacket, and European hornet colonies follow the same annual pattern and also collapse at the first frost. Their larger enclosed nests may remain visible through winter as an empty shell — but they are abandoned and will not be reused the following year.
Quick decision tree
Which nest do you have? Three questions.
Can you actually SEE a nest structure, or are you just watching wasps disappear into a gap in your wall, soffit, or lawn?
Frequently asked
Wasps gone — and they stay gone.
Same-day service across Southern New Hampshire. NH-licensed #782664. Family-owned since 2017. We handle ground, wall, and aerial nests with EPA-registered products and a 30-day re-treat guarantee.