Baldfaced Hornet
Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus)
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Size & Characteristics: Baldfaced hornet workers are about 5/8-3/4+ in (15-20+ mm) or more long; queens are 3/4+ in (20+ mm) long. Baldfaced hornets are quite large. They build paper enclosed, gray, aerial nests.
Color: Mostly black with a white pattern on most of its face, hence the common name, "baldfaced".
Geographic Range: All through the United States
Habitat: Baldfaced hornets build gray, paper carton nests with many compartments, and a papery outer covering, which may hang near ground level or very high in trees, shrubs, vines, overhangs, sheds, utility poles. They may be quite out in the open, or other times well hidden. When mature, a nest may reach a diameter of 14 inches and a length of 24 inches. A baldfaced hornet nest is not reused the following year.
Food: Other insects, flower nectar
Biology: Baldfaced hornets are social insects with queens that lay fertilized eggs, workers that are sterile females, and males that come from unfertilized eggs in late summer. Only queens overwinter. In spring a queen builds a nest from chewed up cellulose, and lays one egg in each compartment or cell as she builds it. She feeds the larvae protein from other insects, and flower nectar. When the first workers emerge a month later, they take over feeding and nest building, while she continues to lay eggs. Eventually there will be 3-5 combs or clusters (of several hundred cells each) which are attached one below the other. The nest will have 100-400 workers at its most active time. Later, when the colony is declining, larger cells are built to raise queens and males. Newly hatched queens and males leave the nest to mate. The queen that started this year's nest, the workers, and the males all die. Only the new queens survive the winter by hibernation in sheltered places.
Damage: Baldfaced hornets are beneficial. They eat many pest insect species. However, a nest near a structure or close to the ground may be a nuisance and may need to be removed.
Environmental Policy
The employees of American Pest Management are committed to improving the quality of life for all of our customers by providing the safest and most effective treatment for the management of pests which pose a threat to their health, property, and food supply. History has shown that neglecting to control pests such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, rodents, and ticks, and the misapplication of pest control products are equally dangerous.
