Dolichovespula maculata
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Bald-Faced Hornet sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 757 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 978 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Bald-Faced Hornet in Chicago on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month.
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.
Among the best
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Bald-Faced Hornet sightings, Chicago ranks 8th at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Philadelphia (United States, about 20%), Boston (United States, about 20%) and Baltimore (United States, about 20%).
Same family: Vespidae
The closest relatives of the Bald-Faced Hornet that you can see in Chicago (family Vespidae, Hornets, Paper Wasps, Potter Wasps, and Allies) are German Yellowjacket (about 10%), Eastern Yellowjacket (about 10%) and Fraternal Potter Wasp (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Bald-Faced Hornet is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (757 verified sightings), 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.
