Baldfaced Hornet: Texas's Only 'Hornet' Is Really a Yellowjacket
The baldfaced hornet is a black-and-white wasp that hangs a gray, pear-shaped paper nest in a tree or, once in a while, on the side of a building. AgriLife calls it the only "hornet" reported in Texas, yet it is really a member of the yellowjacket family. A nest high in a tree and away from people can usually stay put; one beside a door, an eave, a play area or a mowed lawn is a job for a professional.
Want a nest checked? Call or text (210) 281-1064 or book online.
Why a "hornet" that isn't one #
The AgriLife field guide entry and AgriLife's E-239 bulletin both describe the baldfaced hornet as the only "hornet" on record in Texas, while placing it in the yellowjacket family, Vespidae. TAIS agrees, and the University of Florida's extension fact sheet puts it flatly: this hornet is a yellowjacket.
The name matters because people hear "hornet" and picture something much larger. The big true hornets, such as the European hornet and the northern giant hornet, are not documented in Texas by the sources we rely on.
Three marks of the wasp itself #
- Size: about 3/4 inch, according to AgriLife. Penn State Extension gives 13 to 20 mm.
- Color: black with white or ivory markings, mostly on the front of the face and the tip of the abdomen.
- Wings: folded lengthwise along the body when the wasp is resting.
Picture a yellowjacket wearing white markings where you'd expect yellow.
The nest usually gives it away #
AgriLife describes an upside-down pear made of grayish-brown paper, fully enclosed, up to 3 feet long, with 2 to 4 horizontal combs inside and the entrance at the bottom. TAIS and UF add that nests commonly measure a foot or more in width.
How it compares with other paper nests you might find:
- Paper wasps and red wasps: an open comb with the cells in plain view. No outer shell.
- Yellowjackets: an enclosed carton too, but most are hidden underground.
- Mexican honey wasps: also a gray paper ball, hanging in a tree or shrub. The wasps are the giveaway: small, dark and only 1/4 to 1/3 inch long, nothing like a 3/4-inch black-and-white hornet.
How common are baldfaced hornets around San Antonio? #
We'd rather be straight with you than guess. AgriLife and TAIS confirm the species has been reported in Texas, but none of the sources we checked describe where in the state it lives or how often it turns up near San Antonio or in the Hill Country. Nationally, Penn State says it ranges across most of the lower 48 states, and UF says most of the Nearctic region, which takes in most of North America.
In practice, that means a gray football of a nest in a South Central Texas tree deserves a closer look at the wasps before anyone assumes what it is.
Where nests hang #
- Trees: the usual spot, often high up in the branches, per AgriLife.
- Buildings: sometimes fastened to a wall or tucked under an eave.
- Shrubs: Penn State, writing about Pennsylvania, says nests there usually sit in bushes at least 3 feet off the ground.
E-239 notes that nests are almost always above ground, which separates them from most yellowjacket colonies.
A colony's season #
A mated queen spends winter in a crack or crevice and starts a fresh nest in spring. Workers build it up through summer, and late summer brings males and new queens. AgriLife puts a mature colony at one queen plus 200 to 400 workers; Penn State says 100 to 400.
Penn State says the bulk of the colony is gone by the first hard frost or soon after it. None of our sources give Texas-specific dates, so we won't invent any.
How bad is the sting? #
The field guide warns that the sting can be intensely painful. Wasps don't leave their stinger behind, and E-239 says they may sting repeatedly.
The good news: E-239 ranks hornets as less inclined to attack than either paper wasps or yellowjackets, and TAIS links that to their habit of nesting high or in out-of-the-way places.
Watch for allergy warning signs. E-239 reports that about 5% of people who get a large local reaction, meaning swelling more than 2 inches out from the sting, go on to have anaphylaxis later. The same bulletin says anaphylaxis tends to begin 20 to 30 minutes after a sting, and that shock and death can arrive within 10 to 15 minutes. AgriLife's B-6118 lists dizziness, weakness, vomiting, a rash, trouble swallowing or breathing, and passing out as signs to get medical help quickly. For a routine sting, the CDC/NIOSH guidance is soap and water, then ice, without scratching.
Leave it, or have it taken down? #
Usually fine to leave:
- high in a tree where nobody climbs, prunes or mows underneath
- on a back fence line or in a remote corner of acreage
AgriLife's advice for these nests is to leave them alone whenever possible.
Call for help:
- the nest is close to a doorway, eave, patio or play area
- it hangs over the lawn you mow
- anyone at home has a venom allergy or a heart condition
Insects in the City says that once hornet and yellowjacket colonies are established, they are a job for professionals.
Why spraying the outside backfires #
It is tempting to grab a can and hit the paper shell. Penn State warns that spraying only the outside of the nest stirs up the colony and raises the risk of stings for several days afterward. E-239 says anyone treating a nest should stand at least 10 to 15 feet back and either suit up in protective gear, a bee suit for example, or bring in a professional.
If the colony does come out after you, protect your head and face and get into a car or building. Don't stay put swatting at them, and don't jump into a pool.
How Pest Trappers handles baldfaced hornet nests #
The first job is confirming what built the nest, since a Mexican honey wasp colony or a yellowjacket nest in the same spot calls for a different plan. The technician then looks at the nest's height, what's underneath it and who uses that part of the property.
From there you'll hear the options, including when leaving the nest is reasonable. Any product used goes on according to its label. Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549) prices the work after that inspection, so call for pricing. Town pages: Kerrville, Boerne, New Braunfels and Fair Oaks Ranch.