Bald Face Hornet

Identification

  • 5/8 - 3/4+ inch long
  • black with yellowish-white face; no hairs

Nesting Habits

  • social
  • colony dies off every fall; fertilized queens overwinter
  • nest on building eaves, etc., or in plants/trees: aerial
  • queens start new every spring; colonies grow throughout the summer months

Diet

  • insects
  • nectar

Significance

  • nests pose a serious health risk to humans

IPM Recommendations

  • Monitor for nests from early summer - fall.
  • Purchase and use a bee veil, suit and gloves.
  • Minimize nesting habitat around property.
  • Install tight-fitting screens in windows.
  • Nest removal: wear protective bee veil, suit and gloves; at night using a ladder or bee pole, apply an aerosol wasp insecticide into the nest entrance hole, bag and remove the nest and place the bagged nest in a dumpster away from children and people.

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