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Dolichovespula maculata.
Bald-faced hornet. A north American wasp. Also called white-faced hornet, blackjacket or bull wasp. Belongs to yellowjacket family. The bald-faced hornet builds large football-shaped paper nests. It can be up to 14 inches (35cm) in diameter and 23 inches (60 cm) in length. One of the largest wasp nests and can have a population from 100 to 700 individuals. The bald-faced hornet is protective of the nest and will sting so best observe the nest from a distance. The nest will be abandoned by winter and will not be reused.
I keep a small plate of hummingbird nectar on the corner of the sundeck and this bald-faced hornet visits it quite frequently.
Spotted on Aug 27, 2014
Submitted on Aug 27, 2014
2 Comments
Yes, KarenPuracan, I did crop the pictures. However, this hornet actually flew around my head several times as I was sitting on the sundeck where the nectar was. Maybe it was thanking me for the nectar I put out everyday. :)
I am hoping you just cropped this pic to get a close up... ! Lol