#3646 · 🐝 bees, wasps & ants

Bald-faced Hornet

Dolichovespula maculata

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

Dolichovespula maculata is a eusocial wasp of the cosmopolitan family Vespidae. Its colloquial names include the bald-faced hornet , bald hornet , white-faced hornet , white-tailed hornet , spruce wasp , blackjacket , and bull wasp . This species is a yellowjacket wasp, not a true hornet (genus Vespa ). Colonies contain 400 to 700 workers, the largest recorded colony size in its genus, Dolichovespula . It builds a characteristic large hanging paper nest up to 58 centimetres (23 in) in length. Workers aggressively defend...

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 69,757iNaturalist observations

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
69,757 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named in 1763 (263 years ago).