Summer is here and millions of children and adults are taking to the outdoors to play and have a good time. But be careful, your fun afternoon of exploring new places might just get you on the wrong side of a wasp, hornet or bee hive.

Wasps, bees and hornets build hives that can contain thousands of insects in such places as over hangs, old buildings, abandoned equipment or just about anywhere they feel safe and protected from predators. While most of these insects won't attack humans for fun, they will attack enmasse in a swarm if they feel threatened.

Hornets NestHornets are much larger than most other wasps - with wings spans up to 3" (7.6 cm). They build nests from chewed vegetation like other wasps, but is has more of a cardboard texture. The nests are found mostly in trees and large shrubs, are usually a grayish-brown color and appear as an inverted pear shape. Their body coloring can range from reddish-brown to black with white markings.

Hornet