Have You Seen This in Your Yard in Great Falls? Watch Out!

On a recent jaunt to our camping area in the Highwood Mountains, we were installing fence along a section of wooded area.  As I was clearing branches, I happened to notice a few things buzzing my head.  Upon further looking, I found a wasp nest directly in front of me.  Probably the size of a soccer ball.  I slowly backed away from the area, figuring I would come back to deal with these hooligans.

Upon leaving, I noticed that these weren't your ordinary wasps, hornets or yellowjackets that were hovering around the hive and buzzing me.

Their colors were totally wrong for a "yellow" jacket.  Instead, there were black with white stripes and a completely white face.

What Are These Odd Colored Bugs That Are Invading Our Areas?

While I haven't been back to camp to see if they are still there, I have seen several posts across social media of people seeing these and wondering what in the world they are.

We have the answers for you.

The white faced or sometimes called the bald-faced hornet is what we are starting to see in our area.  And they aren't very nice either.

Don't Worry About the Bite, These Guys Will Just Spray You

Sure, getting bit is also in the mix if you disturb one of these nests.  But the bald-faced hornet can also spray that same venom they inject directly into your eyes.  The poison is enough to cause watering eyes, and in some cases, temporarily causing blindness.  They can also be extremely aggressive when protecting the nest and the larvae.  They have been known to continuously sting the victim over and over again.

If you have one of these nests near you, destroy it now before the final stages of the larvae hatching.  Most nests are only active into September, early October at the very latest.  Destroying now will keep any new queens from being hatched, and you will be able to get rid of the main queen hornet in the process.

Just remember to "bee" careful when dealing with these insects.

Get our free mobile app