Bald-faced hornet identification (Dolichovespula maculata)


Insect identifier · Ants, bees, and wasps

How to identify a Bald-faced hornet

Dolichovespula maculata
· Also called bald face hornet, white-faced hornet, aerial yellowjacket, white faced hornet, bald face hornet nest

Bald-faced hornet identification photo

Black with a white face and a gray paper globe in a tree. Aerial yellowjacket, not Vespa, but the nest defense is real.

Black body, white face, gray paper globe in a tree. Aerial yellowjacket, not Vespa, but the nest defense is the same problem. Hitting it with a stick is how people collect a dozen stings. Photograph from far away. Hire removal if the nest is over a walkway. Picnic yellowjackets are a different nest and a different page.

What does a bald-faced hornet look like?

Black with ivory-white face, larger than yellowjackets, large aerial paper nest.

Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) is Larger than yellowjackets, 13–20 mm. Colors people notice: black, white. Field marks: Black with ivory-white face and markings; Large aerial paper nest; Defends the nest vigorously. It is found outdoor. If those marks are missing, open Northern paper wasp, Eastern yellowjacket before you force this name. Search phrases that belong on this page include what a bald-faced hornet looks like and bald-faced hornet identification.

Identification marks

  • Black with ivory-white face and markings
  • Large aerial paper nest
  • Defends the nest vigorously

Size: Larger than yellowjackets, 13–20 mm
Colors: black, white
Where: outdoor

What a typical bald-faced hornet bite looks like

Typical bald-faced hornet bite or sting
A typical pattern. Reactions vary. This is a guide photo, not a diagnosis.

Very painful sting, significant swelling, multiple stings if the nest is hit. Do not knock the nest down yourself.

People searching “bald-faced hornet bite identification” want the pattern, not a single anonymous bump. Very painful sting, significant swelling. Multiple stings if the nest is hit. Immediate steps on this page: Leave immediately; Ice; ER for many stings or allergy; Do not knock the nest down yourself. This species does bite or sting people. Fever, spreading redness, trouble breathing, or a child with many stings is professional care.

If you were bitten

  1. Leave immediately
  2. Ice; ER for many stings or allergy
  3. Do not knock the nest down yourself

Bald-faced hornet vs Northern paper wasp

White face, black body, gray soccer-ball nest in a tree or eave. Not a European hornet. Aerial yellowjacket biologically. Hitting the nest is the problem.

Range and season

Across North America, late summer.

Trees and building overhangs across North America, obvious in late summer.

Across North America. The gray soccer-ball nest in a tree is the giveaway.

Late summer

Common questions

Is a bald-faced hornet a true hornet?

It is an aerial yellowjacket, not Vespa, but the nest and sting are very real.

What does the nest look like?

A gray paper globe, often at eye level to high in trees or on buildings.

More dangerous than a honey bee?

Can sting repeatedly and in groups. Allergy risk is similar in kind.

What nest looks like a gray paper ball in a tree?

Bald-faced hornets. Leave it to a professional if it is near a door.

Related identification pages