Bald-faced Hornets

What do Bald-Faced Hornets look like?

Bald-faced hornets get their name from the fact that they are almost completely black except for an off-white color pattern that is found on most of their face and on the end of their abdomens and thoraxes. Workers grow to between 1/2 and 5/8 of an inch in length. The queens are large and can grow up to 3/4 of an inch in length. Their body is long, thin, and wasp-like. Bald-faced hornets are only referred to as hornets because of their large size and because they place their nests high up off the ground; they are actually a relative of yellow jackets and paper wasps.

Where are bald-faced hornets found?

A bald-faced hornet colony only survives for one year. In the fall, fertilized queens find a safe, suitable place to overwinter in while the rest of the colony perishes in the cold weather. In April or May, the overwintering queen emerges and finds a suitable location to build a new nest. They generally choose an aerial location such as in trees, on utilities poles, on the sides of Iowa & Illinois homes, or under roof eaves. Their nest can grow to be more than 14 inches in diameter and 24 inches in length.

What do bald-faced hornets eat?

Bald-faced hornets are considered to be beneficial insects because they are responsible for pollinating some flowers and plants, and they are predatory insects. Bald-faced hornet workers prey upon a large number of nuisance insects in order to bring them back to the colony for the developing larvae to feed on. The adults have a liquid diet and feed on sweet sugary liquids like nectar and juices.