Despite their common name, bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculata) are actually a type of yellowjacket. Bald-faced hornets are so named for most of their bodies being lightly haired, dark black, with white markings on their face and white stripes towards the end of the abdomen. They will create large aerial paper nests (3+ feet above the ground) attached to tree branches, typically near wooded areas. They can also occasionally be found in shrubs, on utility poles, or the siding of homes. They will defend their nests if they feel threatened.
Size
Medium: 0.5–0.8 inches (13–20 mm)
Active periods
Year-round, peak in September
Food Source
Adults are omnivores and will feed a variety of things, including nectar, sap (particularly birch), fruit, and other insects such as flies, other yellowjackets, and spiders. Adults will chew up insects and other ‘meat’ to feed to larvae.
Overwintering
Reproductive females shelter in an insulated, sheltered location before emerging in the Spring.
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Photo: Jackson Kusack, Public Domain, iNaturalist
