UF/IFAS Extension in Leon County posted a September 18, 2026 note for gardeners cutting back summer growth. The biology is statewide. The same eaves, hedges, and palm skirts show up on lots in Oviedo and Maitland.
Cleanup season and hidden nests
Wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets are social insects. A queen and female workers run the colony. Males exist for mating. Fertilized females from late fall spend winter in sheltered spots such as under bark, then start a new colony in spring.
These insects can sting more than once. Yellow jackets and hornets also release an alarm scent that calls nestmates to defend the colony.
Paper wasps under eaves and in shrubs
Florida has paper, red, mason, potter, and mud dauber wasps. Paper and red wasps (Polistes) are the ones that sting readily when provoked. Their nests sit under house eaves and inside shrubbery. The nests buried in a hedge are the ones people hit while trimming or weeding.
Yellow jackets in the ground and in debris
Florida has three yellow jackets that sting when disturbed: the eastern yellow jacket, the southern yellow jacket, and the baldfaced hornet. They nest underground, and also in hay, palm fronds, and loose debris above ground. An underground colony can have one entrance or several. Southern yellow jacket colonies can hold over 2,000 insects.
Baldfaced hornets build aerial nests. Those paper balls are easier to see than a hole in the lawn, so gardeners run into them less often while they work.
Look before you trim
Wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets hunt caterpillars and beetle larvae, and they visit flowers. A nest well away from doors can stay while you work on another part of the yard.
Before you cut tall weeds or vines, look through the growth. UF/IFAS suggests poking the vegetation with a stick first and leaving yourself room to step back. Yellow jacket holes in the ground are easier to miss than a paper nest on an eave.
Nests on the house
Leave nests on eaves, porch ceilings, and play areas for a technician. A broom swing or a close-range spray can send defenders out of the nest. Ground colonies are especially hard to approach safely because of their size.
Orlando Pest Experts can inspect a nest on the structure as part of residential pest control. Schedule a visit for eaves and hedge lines in Oviedo, Maitland, and nearby Central Florida cities. For more on these insects, UF/IFAS Ask IFAS has publications on wasps, yellow jackets, and hornets, and your local Extension office can help with identification.
Related reading: September lovebugs in Lake Mary and Altamonte Springs · St. Augustine chinch bugs · Florida seasonal pest guide · All service areas