Paper hornet nests are the gray, papery structures you’ve probably spotted hanging from tree branches, under eaves, or tucked into sheltered corners of buildings. They’re made from chewed wood pulp mixed with saliva, essentially handmade paper produced by the colony one mouthful at a time. These nests are temporary, lasting only a single season before being abandoned in winter. Whether you’re trying to identify a nest, understand how it got there, or figure out what to do about one, here’s what you need to know.
How Hornets Build a Paper Nest
Hornets use their powerful mandibles to scrape thin strips of wood from fences, decks, dead trees, and other exposed wood surfaces. They chew this wood fiber and mix it with their saliva to create a wet pulp, then spread it in thin layers that dry into a surprisingly sturdy paper material. The different colors and bands you see on a nest come from the hornets collecting wood from different sources. A strip from a weathered fence post produces a different shade than one from a cedar tree.
This paper forms two key structures: the brood cells, which are the hexagonal honeycomb-shaped compartments where larvae develop, and the envelope, which is the outer shell that insulates and protects the combs inside. A bald-faced hornet nest, for example, is completely enclosed by this layered paper envelope, giving it that distinctive football or teardrop shape. Paper wasp nests, by contrast, are open-comb structures without an outer covering, which is one of the easiest ways to tell the two apart.
Types of Nests and Where to Find Them
The nest’s appearance and location depend on which species built it. In North America, the two most common culprits are bald-faced hornets and European hornets, and their nesting habits are quite different.
Bald-faced hornets build their nests out in the open, typically hanging from tree branches, shrubs, or the overhangs of buildings. These are the large, enclosed, egg-shaped nests that can grow to basketball size or larger by late summer. The colony actually builds two nests over the course of a season. The first is smaller and more irregular, housing just the queen and her earliest workers. As the colony grows, they construct the larger, more symmetrical nest most people recognize.
European hornets prefer more sheltered locations. Their nests are typically underground in abandoned rodent burrows or inside hollow trees, wall cavities, and gaps between roots. Aerial nests from European hornets are rare. This makes them harder to spot and, when they’re inside a wall or attic, harder to remove.
Paper wasps, which are often lumped in with hornets, build much smaller umbrella-shaped nests with exposed combs. You’ll find these under eaves, porch ceilings, and deck railings. They rarely house more than a few dozen wasps, whereas a hornet nest can hold hundreds.
The Nest’s Life Cycle: Spring to Winter
Every paper hornet nest starts from nothing each spring. No colony reuses an old nest. In April or May, a single fertilized queen emerges from hibernation, selects a sheltered spot, and begins building a small starter nest on her own. She lays the first eggs and raises the initial batch of sterile female workers by herself.
Once those first workers mature, they take over. They expand the nest, forage for food, and care for new larvae while the queen shifts to full-time egg laying. Growth is slow at first but accelerates through midsummer as each new generation of workers adds labor to the colony. By late summer, a bald-faced hornet nest reaches its peak population of 100 to 400 workers.
In fall, the colony’s purpose shifts. The queen produces males and new queens, which leave the nest to mate. The newly fertilized queens find sheltered spots to hibernate through winter. Everyone else, including the old queen, the workers, and the males, dies from old age or freezing temperatures. By the first hard frost, the nest is empty. It will deteriorate over winter and won’t be reused the following year.
How Aggressive Are They?
Hornets are generally not aggressive when foraging away from the nest. Near the nest is a different story. Workers will defend the colony vigorously if they perceive a threat, and unlike honeybees, hornets can sting repeatedly. Vibrations from a lawnmower, a door slamming, or simply walking too close can trigger a defensive response, especially in late summer when the colony is at its largest and most protective of the new queens developing inside.
The size of the defensive zone varies, but as a general rule, staying well beyond arm’s reach isn’t enough. If you’ve noticed hornets flying in and out of a particular spot, observe from a distance during daylight to identify the nest entrance before deciding on next steps.
Removing a Nest Yourself
Small, accessible nests caught early in the season, when the colony is still young and small, are the most manageable for DIY removal. Timing matters: hornets are far less active in the early morning or late evening when temperatures are cooler and darkness keeps them settled inside. Plan your approach during daylight so you know exactly where the nest and its openings are, then carry out the removal at dawn or dusk.
Pressurized insecticide sprays designed for wasps and hornets can shoot an accurate stream up to 30 feet, which gives you a meaningful buffer between yourself and the nest. That distance also provides time to retreat if the colony swarms. Wear thick gloves, long sleeves, pants tucked into socks, and something to protect your neck. Goggles and a mask protect your face from both stings and spray drift.
If you spray a nest, give it at least 24 hours before attempting to remove the physical structure. Returning too early risks encountering surviving hornets that were away foraging when you sprayed.
When to Call a Professional
Not every nest is a DIY job. Nests inside wall cavities, attics, soffits, underground burrows, or structural gaps are significantly harder to treat. They require more product, more time, full protective equipment, and sometimes follow-up visits to confirm the entire colony is dead. European hornet nests, which favor these hidden locations, are especially difficult because they can be hard to even locate.
Size matters too. A softball-sized nest in early spring has a small, manageable colony. A basketball-sized nest in August could have 400 aggressive defenders. The larger and later in the season, the more reason to call someone with experience.
Professional removal typically costs between $100 and $500. A small exposed nest on a first floor runs $100 to $175. A medium nest with standard access costs $175 to $300. Large nests with moderate difficulty land in the $300 to $450 range. Nests buried inside walls, attics, or underground push the price to $400 to $700 or more, especially if building materials need repair afterward. Emergency or after-hours calls add $75 to $150 on top of the base price.
Leaving the Nest Alone
If a nest is high in a tree, well away from foot traffic, and not near any doorways or play areas, leaving it alone through the season is a perfectly reasonable option. The colony will die off naturally with the first frost, and the empty nest will disintegrate over winter. Hornets are actually effective predators of other pest insects, so a nest in a low-traffic area can be beneficial to your yard’s ecosystem. By the following spring, the nest will be gone and no new colony will move into it.