Bald-faced hornet from mid-April to early October, and reproductives were produced from mid-July through the end of November. Onset of male output usually precedes that of queen output in social wasps, however here "D. maculata" is an exception to this trend. Energy investment by workers required to produce reproductives is considerable. Newly emerged males and queens are no more functional than pupae; both depend heavily on solid prey brought in by workers, thus competing with larvae for food resources. As a result, worker quantity must remain high in order to maintain reproductive output. Workers must maintain food stores and defend the nest,
Bald-faced hornet in different nests and workers in one colony might be as large as a queen in a different one. "D. maculata" create egg-shaped, paper nests up to in diameter and in length. Nests are layered hexagonal combs covered by a mottled gray paper envelope. Bald-faced Hornets create this paper envelope by collecting and chewing naturally occurring fibers. The wood fiber mixes with their saliva to become a pulpy substance that they can then form into place. The bald-faced hornet lives in North America, including Canada, the Rocky Mountains, the western coast of the United States, and most of the eastern