Alphabetical List of Critters - Bald-faced Hornet
The Bald-faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) is a type of paper wasp in the family Vespidae (subfamily Vespinae). It also goes by the names of White-faced Hornet or White-tailed Hornet. They are closely related to yellowjackets (they share the same genus), but, they do not possess any yellow coloring — their coloring is black with white markings (see photos below). Like yellowjackets, the female workers are very aggressive, especially when defending their nest, and each individual can sting repeatedly (as opposed to a honeybee worker which can only sting once).
Detailed Fact Sheet: Bald-faced Hornets (Iowa State University) – See also additional photos (FCPS in Virginia)
