Bald-faced hornet varies depending on an individual's life cycle stage and geographic location. Adult hornets are carnivorous, and will prey upon several insect types. They have been observed consuming meat, spiders, fruit and insects. Adults will also drink flower nectar which they feed to their larvae. Female Bee Moths (Aphomia sociella) have been known to lay their eggs in Bald-faced hornet nests. The hatched larvae will then proceed to feed on the eggs, larvae, and pupae left unprotected by the wasp, sometimes destroying large parts of the nest as they tunnel throughout looking for food. Each spring, queens that were born and
Hornet visible under high magnification) and can easily be withdrawn and so are not pulled out of their bodies when disengaging. The toxicity of hornet stings varies according to hornet species; some deliver just a typical insect sting, while others are among the most venomous known insects. Single hornet stings are not in themselves fatal, except sometimes to allergic victims. Multiple stings by non-European hornets may be fatal because of highly toxic species-specific components of their venom. The stings of the Asian giant hornet ("Vespa mandarinia") are among the most venomous known, and are thought to cause 30–50 human deaths annually