Dolichovespula maculata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Dolichovespula maculata is a species of wasp in the genus Dolichovespula and a member of the eusocial, cosmopolitan family Vespidae. It is taxonomically an aerial yellowjacket but is known by many colloquial names, primarily bald-faced hornet, but also including bald-faced aerial yellowjacket, bald-faced wasp, bald hornet, white-faced hornet, blackjacket, white-tailed hornet, spruce wasp, naked brink, and bull wasp. Technically a species of yellowjacket wasp, it is not one of the true hornets, which are in the genus Vespa. Colonies contain 400 to 700 workers, the largest recorded colony size in its genus, Dolichovespula. It builds a characteristic large hanging paper nest up to 58 cm (23 in) in length. Workers aggressively defend their nest by repeatedly stinging invaders.
The bald-faced hornet is distributed throughout the United States and Canada, but is most common in the Southeastern United States. Males in this species are haploid and females are diploid. Worker females can, therefore, lay eggs that develop into males.
The bald-faced hornet gets its name from the characteristic white markings on its face, as the word "bald" in English is derived... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Bald-Faced Hornet sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 41 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 65th most-seen of the 405 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August to October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bald-Faced Hornet in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Bald-Faced Hornet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate Bald-Faced Hornet sightings, Acadia National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%), Isle Royale National Park (United States, about 10%) and Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bald-Faced Hornet is recorded against all the insects logged in Acadia National Park (41 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
