As a homeowner, you want to ensure you’re keeping harmful pests away from your home. Insects can be especially detrimental, as they can easily hide from view but do a lot of damage. One pest that you’ll want to keep an eye out for is the bald-faced hornet.

These fierce insects can be a danger to your home and the people you live with. To defend against bald-faced hornets, you have to understand what they are, what they look like, the signs that they’re present and how to prevent them from infesting your home.

What Is a Bald-Faced Hornet?

A bald-faced hornet is a relative of the yellow jacket and other wasps. It has a unique appearance and is usually characterized as a hornet because of its size and aggressiveness. You’ll usually see them active during the day.

They will attack anything that invades their space and carry venom in their sting that will cause pain, itching and swelling on the skin. Some people may suffer from an allergic reaction to the sting.

Unlike honeybees, whose stingers fall off after one sting, the bald-faced hornet life cycle allows it to sting over and over again. This makes bald-faced hornet removal tricky and explains why it should always be left to a professional service for safety.

Bald-faced hornets are found throughout the United States. They will usually build nests three to four feet above the ground, ranging from around 14 inches in diameter to 24 inches in length. You could find nests on overhangs, utility poles, sheds, shrubs, trees and other structures. At their peak — usually around late summer — colonies number around 400 members.

What Does a Bald-Faced Hornet Look Like?

Bald-faced hornets have black bodies and white faces. They have two unique lines running from their body to their head. Some may confuse bald-faced hornets with yellow jackets because of their similar appearance. Their elongated, wasp-like bodies usually range between 5/8 and 3/4 of an inch.

Signs of a Bald-Faced Hornet Infestation?

Make sure to check for signs of bald-faced hornets in your home. If you catch them early enough, you can stop danger before it begins.

Nests

One of the most obvious ways to tell if you have a bald-faced hornet infestation is if you spot a nest near your home. This will usually be a large nest in shrubs or hanging from a pole. If you do spot one, use caution — bald-faced hornets can be dangerous and sting multiple times. Stay away from the nest, and contact a professional service to help get rid of it.

Noises

Sometimes you might be able to hear a constant buzzing near your home — this could be a telling sign of a bald-faced hornet’s nest. At their peak, bald-faced hornet colonies can reach 400, so this buzzing may start to reach a crescendo. If you do hear buzzing, proceed carefully to find the source.

Stinging

If people are getting stung frequently in or around your yard, this might signify a bald-faced hornet infestation. Make sure to have your home checked for a nest to protect those in your home from bald-faced hornet dangers.

How to Prevent Bald-Faced Hornet Infestations

You may not have an infestation but wonder if there are certain strategies you can utilize for bald-faced hornet prevention. Looking for warning signs, reducing clutter and planting deterrents can help keep bald-faced hornets away from your home.

Look for the Warning Signs

Take time to inspect your yard and look for any nests that might lurk near your home. Nests, buzzing noises and frequent stings can all be signs you have an infestation problem. If you look carefully, you may be able to catch the beginnings of a nest and get rid of it before it grows larger.

Reduce Clutter

Bald-faced hornets construct nests from scavenging litter in the nearby area. Make sure to clean your yard frequently and eliminate any scraps or debris that could fuel a nest construction.

Plant Deterrents

Some plants can also help deter bald-faced hornets from nesting in your yard. You can plant these around your home to try and stop any nest-building before it happens.

How to Get Rid of Bald-Faced Hornets

Keeping some prevention strategies in mind can help you defend against bald-faced hornets. Sometimes, however, it may be too late, and bald-faced hornets could have already invaded your home.

Identify the Issue

The first thing you’ll want to do if you have a bald-faced hornet infestation is to identify the main issue. Is there a nest in your yard? Try to find the source of the problem so you can figure out what to do next.

Contact a Professional Service

Bald-faced hornets can deliver a nasty sting and often group in large numbers. Since they can sting multiple times, they can prove more harmful than your typical honeybee. For your own safety, it’s important that you contact a professional service to take care of an infestation problem. A professional service can offer multiple advantages:

• Safety: First and foremost, a professional service offers safety. Bald-faced hornet behavior is aggressive — in a swarm, they can be particularly dangerous. Some people could have allergic reactions from the venom in the sting of a bald-faced hornet. A professional service helps alleviate this danger and can take care of the hornets in a safe way.
• Convenience: Trying to get rid of a bald-faced hornet infestation is a safety risk, and it can also take a lot of time and energy. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out ways to get the pests away from your home, let a professional service take care of it for you. You’ll be able to spend more time on more important aspects of your life while a service can handle the grunt work.
• Effectiveness: A reliable, trusted service is equipped with the tools and knowledge to effectively take care of your hornet problem. Instead of doing a job yourself and questioning your safety and the outcome, professional service is the trusted option that provides you with confidence.

When you’re trying to get rid of a bald-faced hornet infestation, contacting a professional service is the way to go. Pestech is ready to help.

Contact Pestech to Get Rid of Your Bald-Faced Hornets

At Pestech, we’re committed to providing our customers with quality services that take care of all of their pest problems. We’re a family-owned business that’s been around for over two decades. We have the knowledge and experience to resolve your pest problems. Contact us today!