Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Large
Diet: Insectivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Venom
Status: Common

About

Despite its name, the bald-faced hornet is actually a yellowjacket wasp, instantly recognisable by its bold white face and black body. Workers construct basketball-sized paper nests suspended from trees and will aggressively chase intruders more than 30 metres from the nest.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Dolichovespula
Species: Dolichovespula maculata