Bald-faced hornets in Alaska

Yes — bald-faced hornets are recorded in Alaska. The GBIF biodiversity database holds 288 verified bald-faced hornet records from the state — ranking it 28th nationally. Sightings concentrate in July to August. Onset: immediate severe pain. Duration: swelling for several days.

Bald-faced hornet bites in Alaska: what the mark looks like

Technically a large yellowjacket, black with an ivory-white face, and the most defensive of the group. Multiple stings during a single encounter are typical because the colony responds together and follows for a distance.

Locally, the species most often confused with it are honey bee sting, black fly bite — all of which are also recorded in Alaska.

Bald-faced hornet season in Alaska specifically

Records in Alaska concentrate in July to August, which is what local sighting data shows rather than a national average — seasonality shifts substantially with latitude. The general bite season in Alaska runs May to September.

Because enclosed grey paper nests the size of a football, hanging in trees, on sheds and under eaves, exposure in Alaska tends to be concentrated in specific places rather than spread evenly — which is why a bite history ("where were you in the 24 hours before?") narrows the answer faster than the appearance of the mark.

Month by month in Alaska

These are the 288 Alaska records broken out by the month they were recorded — not a national curve redrawn for the state. Records appear in 8 of the 12 months here. The single busiest month is August with 159 records (57% of the state total).

Counts are observations submitted to GBIF, not bites. They tell you when the animal is out and being noticed in Alaska; they do not tell you how many people were bitten. The thinnest month with any record at all is October (1).

How Alaska compares

Across the 50 states with any bald-faced hornet records, Alaska ranks 28th with 288. The state directly above it is District of Columbia (292). Directly below is Alabama (237). The highest count anywhere is New York (3,286).

Inside Alaska itself the picture is different again: of the 9 biting species we track with records here, this one is 2nd and accounts for 29% of the 1,009 records logged in the state. A species can be common nationally and marginal in one state, or the reverse — which is the whole reason this page exists separately from the national guide.

Care

1. leave the area quickly — this species pursues
2. cold pack, antihistamine, pain relief
3. adrenaline auto-injector if prescribed

Avoiding bald-faced hornets in Alaska

• never disturb an enclosed grey paper nest; have it removed professionally
• keep distance when mowing or strimming near trees