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.