Thought the same thing. Originally from NE and basically we call them all wasps. I've really never stuck around to see if there is a difference though.
Oh, no. There is a difference though I tend to call all the yellow & black bastards (and why the psychotic yellowjacket was not included I'll never know) wasps. Bees I don't mind unless they are carpenter bees. I hate them and their fucking round holes and piles of sawdust.
Find their home(s) then get the cans of spray that shoot out 20', stand back and kill them! Kill them all! Wait, do it in the evening when everyone is home having dinner and talking about their day of human tormenting. Then knock the homes down, stomp on them (make sure they're all dead first) and then burn them. That should do it.