Have you ever seen a male bald faced hornet? You probably have without realizing it. The difference in appearance between male and female is subtle and is usually most obvious in the antennae. Male hymenopterans do not sting, so they can be handled freely.
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8 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.magnificent pics! though i have to admit that i feel a bit sorry for the little guy, as if he'd lost part of his dignity .... i know! always humanising the critters.
walklightly
Level 8
Sep 24, 2018
1
So do you determine sex by grabbing it and seeing if you get stung? Joking as I know you could tell by view. That is bad, sorry.
dalefvictor
Level 8
Sep 23, 2018
2
So do you determine sex by grabbing it and seeing if you get stung? Joking as I know you could tell by view.
dalefvictor
Level 8
Sep 23, 2018
0
First - I love that you know how to handle him !
I believe this is the kind of hornet that inhabits my shed . I go in and out regularly, and more than a couple times a hornet crashed into me accidentally. Never a sign of aggression towards me. I think they know when someone comes in peace ...
evergreen
Level 8
Sep 23, 2018
2
Don't you have to grab it to look closely at the antennae and by then isn't too late if it's not a male?
Count_Viceroy
Level 7
Sep 23, 2018
1
@Insectra I wouldn't do this with a tarantula hawk
@Insectra I just give them a wide berth. They're menacing.
@Insectra there's some professor at the University here that got himself stung by different creatures so that he could rank them by pain. I think the tarantula hawk was second worst behind the bullet ant
Interesting, but I'd handle a copperhead rather than a hornet. I don't know them well enough to discern the sexes.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-bee. I've just had too many run-ins with hornets and yellow jackets.
JimG
Level 8
Sep 23, 2018
1
JimG:
@Insectra It's funny you should mention cats. The worst injuries I've sustained from an animal came from a tiny, very gentle cat. My daughter had had this loving cat for a few weeks when we took her to the vet for shots and a check up.
The cat had never been aggressive; so I was really unprepared for the cyclone of teeth claws that she became when I tried to put her in a cat carrier.
I believe that you were far better off learning that lesson from an owl than a crotalus horridus though.