Bald-Faced Hornet Identification & Control

Bald-faced hornets build large, enclosed paper nests in trees and on structures, and they defend them aggressively. Despite the name, they're technically wasps — close relatives of yellow jackets.

Quick Identification

• Size: About ¾ inch long — larger than yellow jackets
• Color: Mostly black with distinctive white or ivory markings on the face and tip of the abdomen
• Key Features: Large, robust body; builds enclosed, football-shaped gray paper nests; highly defensive within several feet of the nest
• Nest Type: Enclosed gray paper envelope, typically in trees, tall shrubs, or under eaves; can reach basketball size or larger by late summer
• Active Season: Summer through fall; colonies die off after the first hard frost
• Risk Level: High — extremely aggressive when the nest is threatened; can sting repeatedly

What You Need to Know

Despite their common name, bald-faced hornets are technically wasps — close relatives of yellow jackets. They're among the most defensive stinging insects in Illinois. Their large, enclosed paper nests are often built in trees, tall shrubs, on building overhangs, and occasionally in wall voids or attic spaces. A mature colony can contain 400 or more workers by late summer, and they will aggressively defend the nest against any perceived threat within several feet.

Bald-faced hornets are beneficial predators, feeding on flies, yellow jackets, and other insects. When their nests are located high in a tree away from human activity, they can safely be left alone — the colony dies naturally after the first hard frost, and the nest will not be reused the following year.

The nests are unmistakable once you know what you're looking at: a gray, papery, roughly football-shaped envelope with a single entrance hole near the bottom. Early in the season they're golf-ball sized. By August they can be larger than a basketball.

What to Do

If the nest is high in a tree, well away from walkways, doors, play areas, and anywhere people regularly pass, the safest move is to leave it alone and let the frost handle it. Do not attempt to remove a nest yourself — the defensive response from a disturbed colony can deliver dozens of stings within seconds.

Sanctuary Pest Control does not provide hornet removal services. If you have a bald-faced hornet nest that poses a safety concern, contact a pest control company that specializes in stinging insect removal. If you're not sure whether what you're looking at is a bald-faced hornet nest or something else, send us a photo — we're happy to identify it.