Unusual Wasp (Dolichovespula maculata)

Observation: I've never seen this type of wasp before and now they are living large in my yard. So big. On a positive note, the high number of wasps seems to be keeping the aphid population way down. We are wondering if it is new or if we are just noticing it for the first time. Michelle Davis with John Harris

LEO says: Based on the photo this looks like it could be a Baldfaced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) is black and white and helpful to humans, but keep your distance as you watch them work. The baldfaced hornet is an ‘aerial yellowjacket’ - one of 7 or 8 species in the genus Dolichovespula in North America. However, it is not a ‘true’ hornet – it is a yellowjacket. Its colloquial names include the bald-faced hornet, bald hornet, white-faced hornet, white-tailed hornet, blackjacket, and bull wasp.The baldfaced hornet is found in most of the 48 contiguous states and D.C., throughout Canada and in Alaska.

Cooperative Extension Service Consult: Jessie Moan, Statewide IPM Technician write, "I believe you are correct that this is a baldfaced hornet. I don't think there are other related species that can be confused with this marking pattern in Alaska." --Jessie University of Alaska Fairbanks

Resource:

• University of Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service (UAF-CES), Beneficial Insects and Spiders of Alaska - Yellowjackets are social wasps living in colonial nests above or below ground. Some species are nuisance pests when their stinging and scavenging behavior puts them in contact with humans. The group as a whole is considered beneficial.

• PennState Cooperative Extension, Department of Entomology - Entomological Notes factsheet

Video: YouTube - By Carl Barrentine, Bald-faced Hornet (Vespidae: Dolichovespula maculata) Queen, Close-up - Photographed at the Turtle River State Park, North Dakota (16 May 2012).