Baldfaced hornet nest removal in Ashburn trees and eaves

What is a baldfaced hornet nest?

Baldfaced hornets are a native stinging wasp, Dolichovespula maculata, mostly black with ivory-white markings on the face and the tip of the abdomen. Virginia Cooperative Extension now calls them the baldfaced aerial yellowjacket, which describes them better: they are a large yellowjacket relative that builds above ground.

Their nest is the classic gray paper globe, usually shaped like a teardrop or a football, with a single entrance near the bottom. The outer shell is made of overlapping swirls of chewed wood fiber that can look like marbled paper. Inside are several horizontal tiers of comb. In spring it starts about the size of a walnut; by late summer it can be as big as a basketball or larger.

You will find them hanging from tree limbs, inside dense shrubs, under eaves and porch ceilings, on the underside of a deck, and occasionally on a playset or a light post. Unlike a buried colony, the whole nest is in view, which makes it easy to spot and tempting to swat at. Do not.

How is a baldfaced hornet nest removed?

The safe pattern is treat, wait, then take down. A technician in a full bee suit treats the colony through the bottom entrance, typically at dusk or after dark when the workers have returned and are less active. For nests out of reach, extension poles let the applicator deliver dust or a labeled aerosol from the ground or a ladder.

Once activity stops, often by the next day, the nest is cut free and dropped into a heavy bag, or bagged in place and then detached from the branch. Removing the paper prevents curious kids or pets from poking at a nest that still holds a few survivors, and it stops birds from scattering comb and dead larvae around the yard.

High nests are where the job changes. A nest 25 feet up a tulip poplar or above a second-story gable may need an extension ladder, a pole system or a lift, and some providers decline nests that cannot be reached safely. If the nest is high and well away from people, a provider may honestly recommend leaving it until frost ends the colony.

A nest that looks like a single open comb with no paper wrap around it is not a hornet nest at all. That is a paper wasp nest, and it is a much smaller job.

How do I know it is baldfaced hornets?

1. A closed, gray paper nest, round or oval, with one hole near the bottom.
2. Black and ivory insects, not yellow and black, flying in and out of that hole.
3. Wasps larger than the yellowjackets around your trash cans.
4. Guards sitting at the entrance that turn toward you when you get close.
5. Wasps hunting flies and other insects around your porch, deck or garden.
6. Hornets chewing on weathered fence boards or deck rails to collect fiber.
7. A low drone of activity under a shrub or branch you walk past every day.
8. Stings when trimming hedges, which often means a nest hidden inside the foliage.

Large brown and yellow hornets that fly at night are a different, non-native species. Read up on European hornets if that sounds closer to what you see.

Why do baldfaced hornets nest around Ashburn homes?

A founding queen wants a sturdy support with overhead cover from rain and a bit of concealment. Mature street trees, ornamental cherries and maples planted when a section was built, dense evergreen screens between townhome rows, and the sheltered corners of porches and eaves all fit. Wooded edges along stream valleys and trail corridors add even more options.

Food supply keeps them there. Baldfaced hornets are predators that hunt flies, caterpillars and other insects, so yards with gardens, compost, pet waste or nearby water support a larger colony. Weathered wood, from fences to old deck boards, supplies nest fiber.

Nests are rarely noticed early because they are hidden by summer leaves. Many Ashburn homeowners only see them after leaf drop in October and November, by which point the colony is already shutting down.

What can I check safely first?

• Look from a distance, with binoculars if you have them, to confirm a closed paper shell.
• Note the height and what is underneath: a driveway, a walkway, a play area, a window.
• Mark off the area beneath and keep mowers, trimmers and leaf blowers away.
• Check that no second nest is hidden in nearby hedges, since crews prefer to treat both at once.
• Note whether the tree is on your lot, a neighbor's, or HOA common space.

Do not throw objects at it, spray it with a hose, or use a long-range spray from directly below. Product and angry hornets both come down on the person holding the can.

What happens during the pro visit?

1. Assessment. The provider confirms the species and checks height, branch strength and what sits beneath the nest.
2. Access plan. They choose poles, ladder or lift and set a safe working zone.
3. Treatment at low light. The colony is treated through the entrance while workers are inside.
4. Quiet period. The nest is left until activity stops, often overnight.
5. Takedown. The nest is bagged, cut free and disposed of, and any comb fragments are picked up.
6. Area check. Nearby shrubs and eaves are scanned for a second nest.

What affects the cost of hornet nest removal?

When is a hornet nest an emergency?

It is urgent when the nest hangs over a doorway, a driveway, a playset or a window that opens, or when a branch holding it may drop in wind. A nest that has been hit by a ball or a branch and is boiling with activity needs a wide berth until it is treated.

Baldfaced hornet FAQs

Related nests and Ashburn areas

Mature riverside trees make Lansdowne a common place to find these nests, and the wooded stream valleys in Broadlands are similar. For a side-by-side look at every nest type, see how nests are handled in Ashburn on the main page.