Here’s a view of a bald-faced hornet I don’t get to see very often:
I took these photos a few minutes ago through the sliding glass door that leads from our kitchen to our deck.
When we moved in last August, this was on the deck:
I like bald-faced hornets as much as the next guy, but I’m sort of hoping they’ll choose a new location this year.
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I think they are beautiful and have gotten some very close photos, but these are stunning!
Wow! Really close up! What lens do you use?
Canon MP-E 65mm.
The head of a bald-faced hornet is actually larger than many of the whole insects that I post here! The hornet’s head and body filled the whole field of view (with the legs cut off).
It’s the other end of the hornet that we worry about. What a beautiful face!
Hi Charley:
I, too, am a freelance naturalist, from Milton, VT, with a long-time specialty in edible and medicinal plants and a newer (since 2007) yet avid interest in Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies.) My friends and co-members of the VT Entomological Society (VES) suggested I check in on your posts, so have enjoyed reading them for a long time and sharing some, with your name and blog credits, for show-and-tell in my nature programs. (I direct and teach a summer day camp out of my home and teach nature programs for local individuals and organizations.)
You mentioned a desire to deter bald-faced hornets from hanging around your patio door. I would suggest planting Feverfew (Chrysanthemum or Tanacetum (?) parthenium) nearby. I had a seasonal challenge in late summer with wasps congregating around and under the shutters on the front of my house, but planted one Feverfew in the adjacent garden and they have since found other living quarters. I’m sorry that I no longer see green halictid bees nesting in the front lawn…but I don’t have to wait until after sunset to mow. Feverfew is so potent that you would want to keep it away from your vegetable garden to preserve pollination.
The VES offers many free insect outings each summer, some of which I’ll be leading. See VermontInsects.org for our listings. We always welcome new insect enthusiasts of all ages….and bring extra nets for visitors. I’ve also learned that since my swing/miss ratio is still very high, my Canon SX130 is often a better way to “capture” my prey…if they’re willing to sit still and pose for a few seconds. I’m now able to get up closer to many of them with my kayak. I just saw the first Odes of the season at Lake Arrowhead last week-end…so that’s where I’m heading again soon.
Namaste, Laurie DiCesare 🙂
Wow, I didn’t know that about feverfew! Thanks for the tip! Maybe I should also plant some by the mailbox, where the paper wasps keep trying to nest.
Charley – I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you actually like bald-faced hornets more than the “next guy”…