Whoa! What is that?

It was white and paper-like.

Actually quite pretty, and amazing to think about how it was made (see below).

Yesterday we were talking with "Buckshot" who is going to do some landscaping tractor work for us to take out some tree stumps, and level out the front part of the property. His son was with him and pointed out, with excitement in his voice, something very interesting. We looked way over to the far fence-line and noticed something hanging from a branch, which looked like a Japanese paper lantern. After a slight closer look, we realized it was some sort of nest . . . and later discovered that it was a Bald-Face Hornet's nest. Needless to say, we stayed away from the nest so as not to cause any disturbance and get them angry! Of course, you know me, I had to Google it and I will share with you a bit of knowledge I learned about this little critter.

A picture up close from the Internet. There were several flying around the nest, but I wasn't about to get too close.

Internet: The bald-faced hornet lives throughout North America, including southern Canada, the Rocky Mountains, the western coast of the United States, and most of the eastern US. They are most common in the southeastern United States. They are best known for their large football-shaped paper nest, which they build in the spring for raising their young. The paper-like covering of the nest is made from chewed up wood, cardboard or paper that the workers will form into the outside nest covering. Nests can also be colorful as wasps will gather nest materials from different sources. These nests can sometimes reach 3 feet tall. In the summer, nests are often hidden by vegetation. When winter comes, they abandon the nest, usually by the first frost. They will build a new one, probably somewhere else, next spring. Bald-faced hornets are extremely protective of their nests and will sting repeatedly if disturbed.

Every year, queens that were born and fertilized at the end of the previous season begin a new colony. The queen selects a location for its nest, begins building it, lays a first batch of eggs and feeds this first group of larvae. These become workers and will assume the chore of expanding the nest — done by chewing up wood which is mixed with a starch in their saliva. This mixture is then spread with their mandibles and legs, drying into the paper-like substance that makes up the nest. The workers also guard the nest and feed on nectar, tree sap and fruit pulp. They also capture insects and arthropods, which are chewed up to be fed to the larvae. This continues through summer and into fall. Near the end of summer, or early in the fall, the queen begins to lay eggs which will become drones and new queens.

Cute little face!

As winter approaches, the wasps die — except any just-fertilized queens. These hibernate underground or in hollow trees until spring. The nest itself is generally abandoned by winter, and will most likely not be reused. When spring arrives, the young queens emerge and the cycle begins again.

Life is good!