Do Bald-Faced Hornets Sting? Are They Dangerous?
Short answer: the bald-faced hornet can cause medically significant bites, stings or disease. Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
Risk rating: Health risk
Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
Are bald-faced hornets dangerous to humans?
Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
On our four-level scale, the bald-faced hornet is rated health risk, meaning it can cause medically significant bites, stings or disease. Bald-Faced Hornets can sting, so it is worth handling them with care.
Are they dangerous to pets?
Bald-Faced Hornets can bite or sting curious pets that paw at them or try to eat them. Watch for swelling, drooling or limping, and call your veterinarian right away if your pet has trouble breathing or a large reaction.
Can they damage your home or garden?
Bald-Faced Hornets don't damage homes, though nests in walls or eaves are a stinging hazard.
What to do if you are stung
- Move away from the area to avoid more stings.
- If a stinger is left in the skin, scrape it out sideways with a fingernail or card.
- Wash with soap and water and apply a cold pack.
- Take an over-the-counter pain reliever or antihistamine if needed, following the label.
Call 911 right away if someone has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, dizziness or a racing heartbeat after a bite or sting.
Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
How to identify bald-faced hornets
A black wasp with ivory-white markings on its face and the tip of its abdomen. It builds large, gray, football-shaped paper nests in trees, shrubs and under eaves.
- Black body with a white face and white tail markings
- Gray paper nest with a single entrance near the bottom
- Defends nests aggressively, even from vibration
| Scientific name | Dolichovespula maculata |
|---|---|
| Group | Bees & Wasps |
| Size | 15–20 mm (up to about 0.79 in) |
| Colors | Black and White |
| Legs | 6 legs |
| Wings | Yes |
| Where found | Trees or shrubs and Yard or patio |
| Most active | Summer and Fall |
| Bites | No |
| Stings | Yes |
| Risk level | Health risk |
When you'll see bald-faced hornets
Bald-Faced Hornets are most active in summer and fall. Summer heat speeds up development, so populations can grow quickly. In fall, many bugs look for shelter, and some move toward or into buildings.
Typical places to check: trees or shrubs and yard or patio.
About bees & wasps
The bald-faced hornet is one of the bees & wasps. Bees and wasps belong to the same order as ants. Social species such as honey bees, bumble bees, yellowjackets and hornets live in colonies with a queen, while solitary species such as mud daubers and cicada killers raise their young alone. Only females can sting, because the stinger is a modified egg-laying tube.
Social wasp colonies grow all summer and are largest and most defensive in late summer and early fall. Most colonies die off in winter, leaving only new queens to start over in spring.
How to avoid problems with bald-faced hornets
- Leave nests far from activity alone, since the colony dies in winter
- Call a professional for nests near doors or walkways
- Never knock down or spray a nest in daylight
Frequently asked questions
Do bald-faced hornets bite?
No. Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
Do bald-faced hornets sting?
Yes, they can sting.
Are bald-faced hornets poisonous?
The bald-faced hornet can cause medically significant bites, stings or disease. Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
Where do bald-faced hornets live?
Bald-Faced Hornets are usually found on trees and shrubs and in yards and on patios, and are most active in summer and fall.