OUCH: Five Wasps in Colorado with the Most Painful Stings

It's pretty common to be sitting outside in Colorado only to be approached by a big, black and yellow wasp looking for someone to sting. Unlike bees, wasps can sting humans over and over without the sting causing them to die.

There are dozens of species of wasps that call Colorado home, but we're going to take a look at the five wasps in the state that have the most painful bites.

Most Painful Colorado Wasps: Paper Wasp

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The wasp with the fifth most painful sting in Colorado is known as the Paper Wasp. You've likely seen these wasps in places like corners of garages or soffits. These wasps are fairly docile, but if you do get stung it will be quite painful.

Most Painful Colorado Wasps: Baldfaced Hornet

The wasp with the fourth most painful sting in Colorado is known for its white face and is appropriately named the Baldfaced Hornet. Despite its name, this wasp is not a hornet at all and isn't known to be very aggressive. However, make sure not to disturb their nests which are typically found in trees, or face the consequence of a painful sting.

Most Painful Colorado Wasps: Western Yellow Jacket

There's a good chance you've already been stung by the wasp with the third most painful sting in Colorado, as the Western Yellow Jacket is responsible for close to 90% of the wasp stings in the state. Watch out for their classic yellow and black coloring.

Most Painful Colorado Wasps: Velvet Ant

I know what you're thinking, and you're right, ants aren't wasps. However, the Velvet Ant isn't an ant but in fact, a wingless wasp that carries quite a painful bite. However, the species isn't known to be aggressive and its venom isn't very potent. It just hurts a lot.

The Most Painful Colorado Wasp: Tarantula Hawk Wasp

Finally, the wasp with the most painful sting in the state of Colorado is a big, nasty-looking bug known as the Tarantula Hawk Wasp. These indigo/black wasps can grow to be 2.5 inches long and while the sting is said to only last upwards of five minutes, it's a ridiculously painful five minutes.

As with the rest of these wasps, the Tarantula Hawk Wasp isn't particularly aggressive, just make sure you don't make it mad.