The bald faced name comes from the fact they have a piebald coloration pattern not because they resemble a bald man. piebald/pī′bôld″/ adjective Spotted or patched, especially in black and white. Having spots and patches of black and white, or other colors; mottled; pied.
I may be the exception here, but I like bald faced hornets. I always have a big nest somewhere on my land and I try to support them because they kill pest insects like deer flies, cabbage worms and others. Unlike their reputation, I find them to be relatively docile and will only attack if disturbed.
You're not the exception. I've had a hanging nest about 10 feet up in a tree, size of a small basketball. Maybe it's because I mowed around it while they were building it, I could go right under the tree with the mower and they never once bothered me, even when it was hot outside and they were very active. But man... I've seen them swarm after things other times.
That is exactly my experience with them. Granted, I don’t think I was dealing with an entire colony of them, but one summer a few years ago, a bald-faced hornet lived on the outside of a front window on my house. He was only there for like five or six days, but at one point. He’d also kill Yellowjackets, and I thought that was pretty cool.
it’s 12:09 AM for me and we found a way to miss them and while my family is fine with calling an exterminator but my sisters allergic and she is outside a lot and this nest is extremely close to a specific door hell it’s on the door and they are very chill nest but we just realized they were on our porch and I’m getting ready to take them out which sucks cause there actually useful but it’s important for my sister
When I was 10, I ran off trail in Ohiopyle PA and smacked face first into a large BFH wasp nest. It was so heavy it knocked me to the ground and stunned me. I looked up and while on the ground was stung 15-20 times in the face, neck, and arms. I'm not even technically allergic to wasp stings but it still threw me into anaphylactic shock. The itching for days afterwards is what I remember most. And the weird gel they gave me to put on everyday
I was strung by a Bald Faced two days ago on a backpacking trip. It’s gotten itchier and itchier and redder and redder. The pain was bad but it wasn’t as bad as a yellow jacket sting imo. The itchiness is BAD tho.
Great video. I've learned recently one additional terrifying fact of these amazing vespulas... facial recognition. They'll remember you specifically and carry a mean grudge.
Pheromones that each human releases through our breath is also another way they track. They can literally remember the way your breath smells. Dogs do the same thing. It's why dogs always want to smell your breath. Pheromones are really a very powerful thing that each human and animal has there very own.
Absolutely disagree with the statement that these build nests that "stick out like sore thumbs". This is not always true. Often, they will build their nest within the branches of a tree, concealed by the foliage. So when, for example, you reach up to grip an apple to pick it from a lower branch, you may not see the nest several branches up in the leaves.... and the vibration alone when the branch snaps back after you claim the apple... well, it's enough to cause a full on attack and a quarter mile chase. (Personal experience here.) So always check your trees! These nests are not always obvious.
At my work, a yellow jacket got stuck inside; It was calm enough that I picked it up and put it outside. Then I saw these much larger critters. Was gonna pick it up as it was chill but then rethought about it, especially after my coworker swatted it. Used a cup to rescue it and put it outside. I know the eat meat but wanted to learn a little more. Thanks 👍
To anyone reading these comments I just want you to know that bald faced hornets will absolutely build nests that are well hidden inside of debris piles. I was recently cleaning out a property that had a big pit dug and was full of old carpet and mattresses. Moved one mattress and got stung multiple times very quickly. When I went back 4 days later after all the swelling went away I moved a roll of carpet about 10' away and angered a yellow jacket nest. Be careful!
For some reason I didn't expect them to build nests in tall grass. I got stung while playing a round of disc golf. No big deal. I proceeded to find two different nests hidden in tall grass/brush very close to disc golf baskets. If I had thrown my disc into the brush nearby and had to look for it (a very common occurrence), I easily could've stepped on a nest. Needless to say I won't be going back there soon.
I had a Bald Faced Hornets’ nest on the overhang of my house. It was the size of a football before i noticed it. I waited till night to douse it with the foaming wasp killer from 20ft. I had to hit it a few times each evening to kill it.
They're not as aggressive as people think. Your typical Yellow Jackets are much crankier. The Bald-Faced Hornet will generally leave you alone as long as you don't threaten them. Yellow Jackets on the other hand have no problem getting up in your face just because.
I've now learned firsthand just how aggressive German yellowjackets can be towards the end of their colony lifecycle. They've been harassing everyone in my employer's machine shop pretty badly, including me! No stings for me though, luckily.
(Edit for spelling) I heard about these and wanted to know more, so I searched up bald faced hornet and I’m so glad your video was in the results. I really enjoyed it! I loved your ‘educational with little, candid bits of humor and plenty of actually footage of what you’re talking about’ style! It scratched the same itch that might compel me to watch the magic school bus or zefrank videos or something. I’m definitely now WAY more afraid of these bald faced hornet bastards lol, and I was already deeply fearful of them. I also have a newfound sense of… fondness, almost? Like these little guys are so cool! I genuinely want them to be happy and healthy- I just want them to be cool, happy, and healthy somewhere at least three miles away from my current location at all times lolololol. I’m definitely doubling down on my respect of them and their boundaries 😅 Thanks for the quality content! I’m checking out your dog tick video next, and honesty probably going to end up subscribing after finishing this comment. Your chill, matter of fact voice and vibes are really enjoyable, and I can’t wait to dive deeper into the channel 👍🏽
Bald Faced Hornets don't play. I fucked around & found out I was kayaking the Rainbow River in Florida a few years back. They hang nests over the water. Well, I was so busy taking pictures of the alligator on a log as I floated by in my kayak that I didn't notice my head floating directly toward the nest. ... Use your imagination for the rest. My head bumped the nest and it was ON. The ENTIRE hive was on my face in 1 second. Had to roll my kayak instantly. Lost my phone, everything and those assholes rode me under water, stinging & biting. The water was so clear they just hovered over me as I tried to swim away. I think I took 37 stings to the face. I was sooo lucky I didn't take one directly to the eyeball, but several were around my eyelids. Bald Faced Hornets venom is a helluva drug.
I just had pest control come out and remove a nest that was hanging from my house behind my garage. The technician said that there were probably 2500-3000 in the nest. He hit the nest with Wasp-Freeze. I ordered that stuff ASAP!!!
So.... I truly appreciate this video! I experienced something the other day that made me look up bald-faced hornets on youtube to see if there were any educational vids... Im a biophile. I grew up watching Discovery Channel (before it was overrun with alien shows) and Jeopardy!, I met my wife at the 3rd petshop I worked at, and we live on a rescue farm with woods. We have the occasional BFH on our land... we know to avoid them. They are one of the few creatures Im legit fearful of. They WILL chase you! So... yesterday Im watching one, making sure it isnt gonna bother me, and it runs headlong into an orb weaver's web. At first I thought it was a gonner. But no... the damn thing did that intentionally and proceeded to attack, kill, and eat the spider right off its own web!!! I then continued to watch it wander down our fence line looking for more spiders to murder! I saw spiders literally leap out of their webs to avoid being devoured! My wife and I felt like we just witnessed some kind of genocide... it was PURE NIGHTMARE FUEL!!!!
i love bald faced hornets and you guys need to stop perpetuating fear around these creatures instead of education. they are pollinators and find their temperment to be great as long as you are mindful of them.
I have removed two of these nests by myself. I only got stung before I discovered the nest (that’s how I found them). I sure hope I NEVER experience that pain again!
When I was working for the DNR at a state park, I was tasked with trimming trees for the day. I didn’t see a huge nest attached to a branch I cut down and got absolutely lit up
I need some of that flex tape you bet. I’m allergic to them and decided I wanted payback for a reaction I had a few years ago. A nest had formed above the blacktop at a local school and I decided I needed to remove it 😈. The next day I showed up with baseballs, soccer balls, and an arm roaring to throw. The next hour consisted of glourious genocide on that nest. At one point I had knocked down the entire Larvi part of the nest and spawn killed at least 50 of them. The best part of the story? Never got stung! (I didn’t bring my epipen so it’s a darn good thing I didn’t)
Omg I just removed a nest just now no gloves or protection! If I had watched your video first I would never have tried ! I googled wasps to find out how temperature affects them since 3 am here it is like 10c - 50f and it said they were quieter .. therefore I grabbed a plastic bag and I have a ice cream bucket on hand .. honestly I was shaking when I was getting ready to do it but I did it I just wrapped the plastic bag around it and yanked and put it in the bucket fast and closed that lid !!!’ My heart was beating like crazy! But hey I did it 😅 they are now in the back of my truck I’m just waiting for day break and I’m taking them to the dump 😊
I have one of these nest in a jar I'm no expert or licensed exterminator just someone that waited till the sun went down and took it. It's been in the jar for almost 2 years now and is on display in my living room.
Awesome video! I just discovered a massive nest within a small bush in my front yard. I was doing some weeding right next to it before I noticed so I’m surprised I didn’t get swarmed lol. Keep up the good work.
Been seeing some of them visiting flowers in my garden recently. I haven’t seen a nest on my property, so I don’t mind them, and they haven’t come after me, so I assume they’re foraging and their nest is elsewhere, else they’d be more pissy. Soon as I see a nest forming on one of the eaves of my house I’m breaking out the raid though
I got stung a few days ago by one. I was cutting vines from my fence and didn't know there was a huge nest in the bushes. They swarmed me and I swatted them away, but one got me right above my ankle. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of the nest.
Your best bet is to call a professional pest control specialist who has experience with aggressive wasps. Every time you get stung by a vespid like a bald faced, your chance of allergic reaction can go up. I think it's well worth the cost of pest control. Many go manual with removal, if you're worried about chemicals.
there was one at a tree outside my house, when my mom and I saw it we just assumed they were normal bees, Then when she was grabbing mail the neighbor came by and told us what they actually were
Wow! Yeah, there is definitely a difference between bees and wasps. You can go right up to a honey bee nest, get a bit of honey, and POSSIBLY not get stung once. With wasps though, just going near their territory can be risky. You'll most likely catch a sting when near a nest for too long. Much angrier critters!
They are actually really docile ur overegagerating i keep these as pets i touch them i pet them i get up close and they dont mind so please stop the "stuff of nightmares" and "most aggressive wasp know to man" stuff it discourages people from supporting these docile and very benificial creatures also as someone who deals with southern yellowjackets these are basically friends
