Definition:

Vespid (VESP-ID) wasps (Vespidae) (VESP-id-ee): A family of wasps. These include the paper wasps, yellowjackets and hornets. They are colonial (not solitary), make large nests containing many individuals and may defend these nests against all comers, including people, by stinging the intruders. They are not part of the mole cricket story. Unfortunately, many people wrongly assume that all wasps have the same habits as vespid wasps when, in fact, there are dozens of families of wasps with tens of thousands of species that are entirely innocuous to people.

For information on vespid wasps, please see the Featured Creatures Website.