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Pest ID Learn about the pests that impact homes and businesses across Central Massachusetts.

Worcester Pest Identification: Bald-Faced Hornets

Effective Bald-Faced Hornet Identification & Treatment Serving Central Massachusetts

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Bald-faced hornets, recognized by their black bodies and white-patterned faces, build enclosed paper nests, often suspended above the ground. Queen hornets are larger, and their nests can be as large as 14 inches in diameter. Infestations are identified by the presence of nests and worker hornets flying around them.

Bald-faced hornets build nests three or more feet off the ground, typically in trees, shrubs, overhangs, or structures. The nests are aggressive, and bald-faced hornets attack intruders. Treatment is recommended due to their smooth stingers that allow repeated stinging. Colonies may contain 100 to 400 members, most active during the day.

Appearances peak in late summer, and the inseminated females overwinter, while others die off. Unlike other stinging insects, bald-faced hornets do not reuse nests. Stings can cause pain, itching, and swelling, with a similar risk of allergic reactions as other insect stings. They feed on soft-bodied insects, nectar, and pollen, and are attracted to meat.

Key Facts:

  • Bald-faced hornets build large, ball-shaped paper nests.
  • The nests are constructed annually, and abandoned nests are often destroyed by birds.
  • Queens survive winter, start nests in spring, and produce sterile daughters.
  • Mature colonies consist of a queen, 200 to 400 infertile female workers, brood, and, in late summer, males and reproductive females.
  • Nests are built every year, and drones come from unfertilized eggs, lacking stingers.

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