Invertebrates
Bald-Faced Hornet
Dolichovespula maculata · also called bald-faced hornets, white-faced hornet
A branch brushes too close to a large grey paper nest hanging from a tree, and within seconds several bald-faced hornets pour out to defend it, some of them capable of spraying venom toward the intruder’s eyes well before anyone gets close enough for an actual sting.
Overview
The bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata, is a large, striking black-and-white yellowjacket native to forest edge, grassland, and suburban habitat across the United States and Canada. Its fully enclosed paper nest, genuine aggressiveness in nest defence, and unusual venom-spraying ability make it one of the more formidable and frequently misidentified stinging insects in North America.
A hornet in name only
Despite carrying “hornet” in its common name, this insect is genuinely a yellowjacket through and through, a naming quirk that does nothing to soften just how seriously its nest defence should be taken.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and common across suitable forest edge and grassland habitat throughout the United States and Canada.
Bald-Faced Hornet: common questions
Is the bald-faced hornet actually a hornet?
No, despite its common name, the bald-faced hornet is not a true hornet at all, but a large species of yellowjacket, making it more closely related to other North American yellowjackets than to the true hornets found in Europe and Asia, a naming mismatch common with several stinging insects.
Can a bald-faced hornet spray venom without touching you?
Yes, a bald-faced hornet can spray venom from its stinger toward an approaching threat's eyes, an unusual defensive ability that can cause temporary irritation or pain even without any direct sting contact, making the species genuinely worth keeping a respectful distance from.
How is a bald-faced hornet's nest different from a paper wasp's?
A bald-faced hornet builds a large, fully enclosed, greyish paper nest, often hanging from a tree branch or building eave, quite different from the open, exposed-cell nest structure that a paper wasp constructs, making nest shape one of the clearest ways to tell the two apart.
How aggressive is the bald-faced hornet?
The bald-faced hornet is considered one of the more aggressive stinging insects in North America when its nest is disturbed, with multiple workers capable of stinging repeatedly in defence, making it considerably more defensive than the generally calmer paper wasp.