Bald-faced Hornet

I encountered this Bald-faced Hornet - a better name would be Bald-faced Aerial Yellowjacket - last month near my apartment. It was attracted to the same tree as this European Hornet, presumably to cooking oil.

I've mentioned before that these wasps aren't really hornets. I suppose they are bald, though since most wasps aren't particularly hairy "bald-faced" doesn't appear to be a very informative name. Apparently they get that part of their name the same way a Bald Eagle gets its name; they have a white face.


June 10, 2022 in Finderne
Photo 209835476, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

While I don't see these wasps a lot, I see evidence of them every autumn when the leaves fall; they are the most likely builder of the large wasp nests that were around us all summer long. (Though they'll apparently defend their nests aggressively, I think they can frequently live around us without a problem if we're not threatening their nest.) I saw an especially large one behind the Farm Barn at Duke Farms last fall.

November 21, 2021 at Duke Farms
Photo 170813588, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)



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