Rolandvue,3rd Week December: Paper Wasp, Bald-faced Hornet,Dolichovespula maculata

The box elder on Wagner at the corner of Wagner Lane has been host to a Bald-faced hornets nest for many years.  The nest moves from place to place in the tree being renewed annually, impressive engineering. The queen from the old nest overwinters and starts the new nests, raises some workers who then enlarge the nest and switch to raising the next reproducers about mid-summer.   There can be intrigue in the colony worthy of a soap opera with death of the original queen.  These hornets are black with the white markings that account for the name.

As usual there are pluses and minuses to the large football shaped nests.  The hornets are pollinators, they attack other insects which can damage gardens so can be beneficial.  They are minimally aggressive but have a painful sting if approached, and can cause an allergic reaction.  Some suggest removing the nest if near children (by a professional).  See some of the youtube videos for precaution.
There has been no problem with the local nest so the pluses out weigh the minuses.

The picture is from a similar nest near the Goucher track which is in a dogwood, closer to the ground. The box elder is a maple family, can be sugared like a maple, and  might be favored by the hornets since they eat sap as well as other insects.  The Kousa dogwood might provide food as well. The nest is layered up from vegetable matter mixed with saliva. It might be more tempting to move the one near the field, but at least the queen over-winters, might be cautious even in this season.

We see a lot of the paper wasps building their umbrella shaped nests under the eaves of the house, a different species. They have similar  benefits, and hazards. They are more brown and yellow versus the black and white hornets.

Bald-faced Hornets Nest similar to the one high in tree on Wagner Rd.