
	Description
	Black with white markings on the head, the thorax, the last few segments of the abdomen, and first antennal segment. Wings smokey. The nest is made of a gray-tan wood pulp and is in the shape of an inverted tear drop with an opening near the bottom. It is often found hanging high in a tree, but may be in a bush or other protected place.

	Size


	Similar Species



	Habitat
	Forest edges


	Biology
	Season
	Spring to late fall

	Behavior


	Life Cycle


	Larva Food
	Pre-chewed insects

	Adult Food
	Flower nectar, fruit, and possibly other insects


	Distribution
			Sources 7, 24, 29, 30.
	3/14/2022

	Occurrence
	Common


	Taxonomy
	Order	Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)
	Suborder	Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)
	Infraorder	Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)
	Superfamily	Vespoidea (vespoid wasps)
	Family	Vespidae (hornets, paper wasps, potter wasps, and allies)
	Subfamily	Vespinae (hornets and yellowjackets)
	Genus	Dolichovespula (aerial yellowjackets)

	Synonyms
	Vespula maculata

	Common Names
	bald-faced aerial yellowjacket bald-faced hornet baldfaced hornet

What’s in a Name?

Though commonly called a hornet this is actually a yellowjacket.


	Visitor Photos

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	Alfredo Colon












	Babette Kis

	Dolichovespula maculata bald-faced hornet I was out today at Barnes Prairie, and got a few pictures of this handsome aerial yellowjacket. Dolichovespula maculata, bald-faced hornet, on rigid goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum, formerly known as Solidago rigida, Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI October 11, 2022.






	Kirk Nelson





	In this photo, a hornet is sitting just inside the entrance



	Guinness

	I have never seen this hornet around the area before. I have been here 18 years. I found the nest after researching a dead hornet by the door light at night. Have seen them mostly at dark by the door light.


	Judy

	It is attached to the underside of the gutter on the house - I can watch them work from the upstairs window! I would like to find someone to claim the nest this fall, since it is quite beautiful!


	A.E.

	First time in my 20+ years here that I’ve seen these.



	Sandy A.

	Large, beautiful and scary nest found in the corner of our garage door.



	Scott Bemman




	Chuck Ward




	Norm & Peg Dibble

	Is this a Bald Faced Hornet? I sure think they are fancy. We get a bunch of them every summer on our large Swamp Milkweed as shown in photo. I haven’t been afraid of them because they always fly away from me and are very concentrated on the blossoms. Should I avoid being near them?

	Hornet nest in our large Ash tree last summer



	MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos

	Male


	Nest

Camera


	Slideshows


	Bald Faced Hornet DianesDigitals

	About Copyright DianesDigitals



	Bald-faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) Andree Reno Sanborn

slideshow


	Visitor Videos

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	Other Videos


	Bald-faced Hornet (Vespidae: Dolichovespula maculata) Queen, Close-up Carl Barrentine

	About Published on May 17, 2012 Photographed at the Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (16 May 2012). Thank you to 'Vespula vulgaris' (@BugGuide.net) for confirming the identity of this specimen!



	The Bald-Faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) AntsNational

	About Published on Jun 17, 2013 No description available.



	Bald Faced Hornet Dolichovespula maculata (Week 2) AntsNational

	About Published on Jun 26, 2013 The second week after collecting the foundress queen for some footage, the queen has reached her first milestone-- her first worker! Are there more to come? Watch and see...



	Bald faced Hornet PeppyShrimp1138

	About Uploaded on Jul 7, 2009 Dolichovespula maculata is a North American insect which, despite commonly being called the bald-faced hornet (or white-faced hornet), is not a true hornet. It belongs to a genus of wasps called yellowjackets in North America, and is more distantly related to true hornets like the Asian giant hornet or European hornet, but the term "hornet" is often used colloquially to refer to any vespine with an exposed aerial nest. The bald-faced hornet lives throughout North America, including southern Canada, the Rocky Mountains, the western coast of the United States, and most of the eastern US. They are most common in the southeastern United States. They are best known for their large football-shaped paper nest, which they build in the spring for raising their young. These nests can sometimes reach 3 feet tall. Like the median wasp Dolichovespula media in Europe, bald-faced hornets are extremely protective of their nests and will sting repeatedly if disturbed. Every year young queens that were born and fertilized the previous year start a new colony and raise their young. The workers expand the nest by chewing up wood that mixes with a starch in their saliva, which they spread with their mandibles and legs to dry into paper. The workers also guard the nest and collect nectar and arthropods to feed the larvae. This continues through summer and into fall. As winter approaches, the wasps die, except for young fertilized queens which hibernate underground or in hollow trees. The nest is generally abandoned by winter, and will most likely not be reused. When spring arrives the young queens emerge, and the cycle begins again. Bald-faced hornets visit flowers, especially in late summer, and can be minor pollinators. Like other social wasps, bald-faced hornets have a caste system made up of the following: Queens — fertile females which begin the colonies and lay eggs. Workers — infertile females which do the manual labor. Drones — males, which have no stingers, and are born from unfertilized eggs.Filmed with a Nikon D90 105mm AF-VR Micro Lens



	Bald-faced Hornet - Dolichovespula maculata wetvideocamera

	About Uploaded on Sep 28, 2011 Bald-faced Hornets build a football-sized or larger grey-papery nest in trees or overhanging surfaces. The females defend the nest voraciously and can sting repeatedly and painfully with little provocation. It is wisest not to approach their nests at all. ( Dolichovespula maculata ) September 28, 2011

Camcorder


Visitor Sightings

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the Hiker 7/31/2023	Location: shoreline nest in waste high weeds Henderson MN. I encountered this hornet hiking along a rivers shoreline in Henderson MN. This is the most aggressive hornet I've ever encountered.



Cindy 6/16/2023	Location: Little Falls, MN. Under the barn eve. Big and nasty! Went out of there way to chase and sting me.



Babette Kis 10/11/2022	Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI I was out today at Barnes Prairie, and got a few pictures of this handsome aerial yellowjacket. Dolichovespula maculata, bald-faced hornet, on rigid goldenrod Oligoneuron rigidum, formerly known as Solidago rigida, Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI October 11, 2022.



Alfredo Colon 8/11/2022	Location: Albany, NY



Alfredo Colon 8/7/2022	Location: Albany, NY



Deb 7/25/2022	Location: Dassel Mn



Kirk Nelson 12/11/2021	Location: Grey Cloud Dunes SNA



Marcia A Hoffman 8/24/2021	Location: Blaine lived in Blaine 21 years and first one I’ve ever seen.



VB 7/25/2021	Location: Blackduck MN They are all around the yard this year. So far we haven't spotted the best or nests



Guinness 9/12/2020	Location: Eureka Township I have never seen this hornet around the area before. I have been here 18 years. I found the nest after researching a dead hornet by the door light at night. Have seen them mostly at dark by the door light.



Judy 8/28/2020	Location: Menomonie, WI It is attached to the underside of the gutter on the house - I can watch them work from the upstairs window! I would like to find someone to claim the nest this fall, since it is quite beautiful!



A.E. 8/21/2020	Location: Randolph, MN First time in my 20+ years here that I’ve seen these.



Sandy A. 7/28/2020	Location: LeGrande Township (Alexandria) Large, beautiful and scary nest found in the corner of our garage door.



Scott Bemman 7/26/2020	Location: Scenic State Park



VB 7/22/2020	Location: Chaska, Minnesota at Hummingbird feeder



Tollef 7/15/2020	Location: Elizabeth Township, Ottertail County. have never seen this type before. Small neat under a hose reel.



Becky Johnson 6/23/2020	Location: Shevlin, MN Have nest on the outside of the house and under the wishing well.



Alfredo Colon August 2019	Location: Slinger, Wisconsin



Alfredo Colon 8/21/2019	Location: Woodbury, MN



Alfredo Colon 8/15/2019	Location: Woodbury, MN



Kirk Nelson 8/4/2019	Location: Lebanon Hills Regional Park



Carol A Amundson 8/20/2019	Location: Scandia Never noticed them before here on the Washington/Chisago county line. Many seen daily in calf yard chasin flies. We've had 2 bad stings.



Chuck Ward 8/19/2019	Location: Scandia MN



Norm & Peg Dibble 7/15/2019	Location: Maple Grove, MN Is this a Bald Faced Hornet? I sure think they are fancy. We get a bunch of them every summer on our large Swamp Milkweed as shown in photo. I haven’t been afraid of them because they always fly away from me and are very concentrated on the blossoms. Should I avoid being near them?



Norm & Peg Dibble Summer 2018	Location: Maple Grove, MN Hornet nest in our large Ash tree last summer



Lisa 7/17/2018	Location: Shafer, MN currently building a nest on my house.



Kirk Nelson 8/24/2014	Location: Baker Park Reserve In this photo, a hornet is sitting just inside the entrance



MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

Fort Snelling State Park Grey Cloud Dunes SNA Lake Carlos State Park Lake Rebecca Park Reserve Lebanon Hills Regional Park Minnesota Valley NWR, Long Meadow Lake Unit Mound Prairie SNA Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve Pine Bend Bluffs SNA Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve Sakatah Lake State Park Savage Fen SNA Scenic State Park Thorson Prairie WMA Wood-Rill SNA