syracuse wasp control The winged and stinging insects commonly referred to as �yellow jackets� include many wasp species that are often mistaken for honey bees due their similar looking black and yellow striped body patterns. Many people are under the impression all yellow jackets found outdoors belong to one or a few species that will readily inflict painful and medically significant stings that can be deadly to some humans. One yellow jacket species, Dolichovespula maculata, is commonly known as the �bald-faced hornet,� despite being a yellow jacket species and not a hornet species, the latter of which belongs to a different genera of wasp species.