Bald-faced Hornets nest in Carpenter’s Woods, Philadelphia
I just love looking for inspiration for my wildlife garden while walking with my two Plott Hounds in the woods nearby. And recently I came across something really exciting — a Bald-faced Hornet nest. Fortunately, Otis and Morgan are used to me stopping frequently in the woods to photograph flowers, insects, birds, and other natural wonders, and they lay down quietly at my feet while I took photo after photo of this fanstastical nest.
Bald-faced Hornets (Dolichovespula maculata) are not really hornets at all, but members of a genus of wasps called yellow jackets, but since their coloration is black and white, they are not commonly called yellow jackets.
Bald-faced Hornets nest in small tree
Each spring a fertilized Bald-faced Hornet female who has spent the winter protected in a tree crevice, rock pile, or maybe in the walls of buildings, will emerge and start building her nest. She does this by chewing up strips of wood, which mixes with her sticky saliva and she takes this paste of cellulose to construct her papery nest.
Upon completion of a few cells of this nest, the female Bald-faced Hornet will begin laying eggs. She will feed the larva a mixed diet of flies, other yellow jackets, and many other insects. These first offspring will then assume the duties of nest building, food collection, feeding larva, and nest protection. All offspring at this time are female.
Bald-faced Hornet emerging from nest
As spring progresses into summer, the nest becomes quite large, and the population may reach over 700 Bald-faced Hornets filled with more workers who continue to expand the nest, which may reach the size of a basketball. And what a work of art this completed nest is!
Adults eat flower nectar, fruit, tree sap and insects. In the process of nectar collection, they are good pollinators in your wildlife garden.
Like other paper wasps, Bald-faced Hornets aggressively defend their nests, so you don’t want to encourage nest-building near your house or other areas of your wildlife garden that you (or your dogs) spend a lot of time in. Our team member Loret T. Setters has developed quite a process in paper wasp nest relocation in her Florida wildlife garden, as she has had to move these nests several times now.
Bald-faced Hornet nest
At the end of the summer, the Bald-faced Hornet queen will lay eggs that will become both male and female. These eggs hatch and mating occurs. All of the hornets will die, including the old queen, except for newly mated females, who will find a safe space to spend the winter, and the cycle will start all over again the following spring.
Have you had the opportunity to watch paper wasps build their nests in your wildlife garden?
Carole Sevilla Brown lives in Philadelphia, PA, and she travels the country speaking about Ecosystem Gardening for Wildlife. Check out her new free online course Ecosystem Gardening Essentials, 15 free lessons delivered to your inbox every week.
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These are great pictures of an incredibly beautiful structure. It is amazing the things that invertebrates can engineer. Thank you for posting this.
Thanks, Ruth. I’m fascinated by the intricate details and beauty of this structure.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..The 5 Pillars of Ecosystem Gardening
Wow Carole…I have indeed watched them build in both my yards (old and new house). We discourage it and remove the nests very early before they get too far. When we have missed a nest, my husband waits for almost almost winter and/or dark and then snips the nest off and puts it in a garbage bag or trash can to move as they are dormant after dark and when it gets cold…unfortunately they can be quite vicious in a yard if you get in their way.
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Patience
Donna, I’m so happy that this particular nest was not in my garden because it’s so low in that tree my dogs would definitely be in danger because they have a big love of eating bees which they catch in mid-air. Most of what they eat are Carpenter bees, but these wasps would definitely be a painful experience for them.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Why Focus on Ecosystem Gardening When There is So Much Wrong in the World?
Amazing engineers! I can see why you were excited to find their nest in the woods (and not your yard!). While they might sting, still they would be beneficial insects in the native garden~
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..Rerouting the Rain
They only sting when they’re feeling threatened, so if we don’t disturb them there shouldn’t be a problem. But I’m just as happy that this particular nest wasn’t in my garden because it’s so big that I know there are many many wasps in there.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Starting Over: Deciding What Can Stay and What Must Go
Off topic, but I’d love to see photos of your Plott hounds. We have a hound that the vet says looks like one. We found him as a pup in a state park, so we have no idea of his breed.
Hi Susan, you can see my Plott Hounds here: http://www.carolebrown.net/plott-hounds-best-friend-for-birders.html They bring joy to my heart every day!
Given the size of that hornet’s nest you found, I’m not sure I’d get within 2 miles of that thing, even if I was “suited up” in my fashion gear. I see the little buggers just peering out and waiting. Get the epi-pen. Great photo of them at the entrance.
Loret T. Setters recently posted..It Just Never Goes Away
Funny, Loret I always have an epi pen because I’m terribly allergic to stings. I have a really long zoom on my camera, so I was a very safe distance away when I photographed these beauties. And I get to laughing every time I picture you in your “bee gear”
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..A Love Letter to Wildlife
Every year after the first frost I hang one of these nests on the outside my house in NY and Carolina Wrens sleep in it on really cold Winter nights.
I appreciated that our local Park Svs had marked off this nest area and provided interpretive signs about the species. Such a work of art. Great photos!
I have not seen a single bald faced hornet this year which is very unusual…or a European hornet which I don’t mind so much. That nest in the small tree is pretty amazing – I did not they would build so low to the ground in such an open space.
Karyl Seppala recently posted..Black Carpenter Bee
Thanks Carole. Nice to be reminded of the benefits of hornets. I often have yellow jackets building a nest in my composter. I will probably continue to remove the nest with water, however; I will think twice to see if there are options.