If you’ve ever seen a gray, football-shaped nest dangling from a tree or the eaves of your home in Michigan, you might be dealing with bald-faced hornets.
These stinging insects are often confused with true hornets. Their aggressive behavior and potent stinger make them a serious threat, especially during late summer when their colonies reach peak size.
It might be tempting to handle the nest yourself, but removing a bald-faced hornet nest without the right training is never a good idea.
We strongly recommend against it. So, here’s what you should know, and why it’s a job for professionals.
Key Takeaways
- Bald-faced hornets often build aerial nests under eaves or in attics using wood fibers and saliva.
- These hornets sting multiple times and can swarm quickly, putting people at risk of allergic reactions.
- Colonies grow through summer and fade in fall, but new queens survive winter to restart nests next year.
- Safe and complete hornet control requires professional help because DIY removal often leads to injury or reinfestation.
Understand What Attracts Them to Your Property
These social insects are skilled builders, crafting intricate aerial nests from wood fibers mixed with saliva. Their paper nests can often be found tucked under attics, gutters, and overhangs or along rooflines. They favor quiet, elevated locations with good shelter from the wind.
A major food source is other insects, especially caterpillars, which they chew up to feed their developing larvae.
Unlike honey bees, which are critical pollinators, they offer minimal ecological benefit and pose a higher risk to human safety, especially when their nests are built close to homes or playgrounds.
Know the Risks of Bald-Faced Hornet Stings
When a colony senses a threat, it doesn’t hesitate to defend. Their stinger can deliver painful stings multiple times in a row, and unlike bees, they don’t lose it after one sting.
The venom causes swelling, burning, and itching. Some people may have severe allergic reactions and need urgent care. This is because the venom contains different proteins that can trigger strong immune responses in sensitive individuals.
And if the nest is disturbed, expect more than just one hornet to show up. A swarm can emerge in seconds, guided by pheromones and coordinated movements via their antennae.
Understand Their Life Cycle in Michigan
The life cycle of a bald-faced hornet colony follows a seasonal rhythm. In spring, fertilized queens that overwinter in protected places begin laying eggs in newly constructed nests.
By summer, pupae develop into workers who expand the nest and defend the colony. By late summer, nests reach their largest size, housing hundreds of hornets.
Bald-faced hornets have sleek black bodies with distinct white markings on their face and upper bodies.
Once the season ends, most of the colony dies off, leaving only new fertilized queens to survive the winter and restart the cycle.
Why DIY Hornet Removal Is Dangerous
We can’t say this enough: don’t try to remove a bald-faced hornet nest yourself. It’s risky and rarely successful.
The aggressive nature of this type of wasp makes even approaching the nest a gamble. They will attack en masse if they feel threatened, and once inside your attic or wall void, they’re even harder to manage.
Store-bought sprays don’t reach deep into larger infestations, and disturbing the nest can send it tumbling inside your home.
Attempting nest removal without the proper tools and training could result in serious injury, property damage, or reinfestation.
Even if you think the nest is empty, remember, social wasps can reoccupy the space if left untreated.
What to Do If You See Hornets
This isn’t a job for just anyone.
At Pest Pros of Michigan, we specialize in hornet control and nest removal, using professional-grade treatments and gear designed to eliminate the entire colony, larvae, pupae, adults, and all.
Whether it’s hanging 20 feet up in a tree or wedged under your soffit, we can take care of it safely. We identify the threat, treat the nest with precision, and remove it to prevent reoccupation. We’re also mindful of the difference between pests and pollinators.
Schedule your pest control service today, and let’s keep your summer safe from swarms.
