Bald-faced Hornet

A bald-faced hornet holding the remnants of an insect which was probably preyed upon by the hornetThe 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, White-tailed Hornet, Spruce wasp and Blackjacket.  They are considered a type of yellowjacket (they share the same genus), but, they do not possess any yellow coloring — their coloring is black with white markings.  Like other 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). In spite of the potential danger they pose to humans, pets, livestock, etc., yellowjackets are regarded as beneficial because they are voracious predators that feed on many other insects, including caterpillars and many species of flies (especially filth flies and blow flies).

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