Bald-faced hornet is constructed too close to human habitation. They vigorously defend the nest, with workers stinging repeatedly, as is common among social bees and wasps. However, the baldfaced hornet has a unique defense in that it can squirt or spray venom from the stinger into the eyes of vertebrate nest intruders. The venom causes immediate watering of the eyes and temporary blindness. The life cycle of a colony can be divided into the founding stage, the ergonomic stage and the reproductive stage. Colonies show annual cycling. New nests are generally founded during spring and early summer by a single queen, though
HMS Hornet (1794) 243 tons burthen, and was armed with sixteen 9-pounders. She too had a crew of 30 men.</ref>|group=Note}} "Hornet" was refitted for £3,554 at Portsmouth in June and July 1799. In August "Hornet" was part of the British fleet that captured the Dutch fleet in the Vlieter Incident. Nash then sailed "Hornet" to the West Indies. In 1800 she accompanied a convoy to the West Indies. While at Guadeloupe in October, a boat from "Hornet" attempted to press some men off the "New Ceres", whose crew resisted, killing "Hornet"s second lieutenant, and wounding another crewman. The next day "Hornet" tried again,