Beneficial Predator / role
7 entr(ies)
Bald-faced Hornet
A large black-and-white social wasp, despite its name a kind of yellowjacket, that builds a gray, pear-shaped paper nest hung in trees or under eaves and defends it aggressively when disturbed.Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber
A slender, black-and-yellow solitary wasp that builds small mud nests under eaves and in sheltered corners, hunting spiders to feed its young; docile and rarely stings.Eastern Yellowjacket
A native, black-and-yellow social wasp that nests underground in lawns, woods, and pastures across the eastern United States, hunting other insects but defending its hidden nest aggressively with repeated, painful stings.European Earwig
A reddish-brown, nocturnal insect best known for the pincer-like forceps at the tip of its abdomen; it shelters in damp, dark spots by day and sometimes wanders into homes in large numbers.House Centipede
A fast, long-legged centipede with a dirty-yellow striped body that lives in damp, dark corners of homes and hunts insects and spiders at night; alarming to look at but harmless, and actually a beneficial predator.Paper Wasp
A slender, long-legged wasp that builds an open, umbrella-shaped paper nest under eaves and overhangs. A useful caterpillar predator outdoors, but it will sting in defense of a nest placed too close to people.Wolf Spider
A large, hairy, ground-dwelling hunting spider that chases down prey on foot instead of spinning a web, sheltering under boards, stones, and siding and sometimes wandering indoors near ground level.
A large black-and-white social wasp, despite its name a kind of yellowjacket, that builds a gray, pear-shaped paper nest hung in trees or under eaves and defends it aggressively when disturbed.Black-and-yellow Mud Dauber
A slender, black-and-yellow solitary wasp that builds small mud nests under eaves and in sheltered corners, hunting spiders to feed its young; docile and rarely stings.Eastern Yellowjacket
A native, black-and-yellow social wasp that nests underground in lawns, woods, and pastures across the eastern United States, hunting other insects but defending its hidden nest aggressively with repeated, painful stings.European Earwig
A reddish-brown, nocturnal insect best known for the pincer-like forceps at the tip of its abdomen; it shelters in damp, dark spots by day and sometimes wanders into homes in large numbers.House Centipede
A fast, long-legged centipede with a dirty-yellow striped body that lives in damp, dark corners of homes and hunts insects and spiders at night; alarming to look at but harmless, and actually a beneficial predator.Paper Wasp
A slender, long-legged wasp that builds an open, umbrella-shaped paper nest under eaves and overhangs. A useful caterpillar predator outdoors, but it will sting in defense of a nest placed too close to people.Wolf Spider
A large, hairy, ground-dwelling hunting spider that chases down prey on foot instead of spinning a web, sheltering under boards, stones, and siding and sometimes wandering indoors near ground level.