Bald-faced Hornet vs Horned Passalus

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Bald-faced Hornet Horned Passalus
Scientific Name Dolichovespula maculata Odontotaenius disjunctus
Order Hymenoptera Coleoptera
Family Vespidae Passalidae
Size 15-20 mm 28-37 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fruit Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions North America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Bald-faced Hornet

A large black and white social wasp that builds impressive football-sized paper nests in trees and on buildings. Despite its name, it is not a true hornet but a yellowjacket relative.

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Did You Know?

Bald-faced hornets can squirt venom from their stinger into the eyes of nest intruders, causing temporary blindness and intense pain.

Horned Passalus

A large, shiny black beetle with a small horn on its head, found in rotting logs. It lives in family groups where adults and larvae communicate by stridulation.

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Did You Know?

Adults chew wood into pulp and feed it to their larvae, one of the few beetles to show true parental care.