In the Eastern part of the United States bald-faced hornets are pretty common. They make large, spherical nests in trees and elsewhere. The are black with white faces and are quite scary looking.

But before you go to try to wipe them out, consider this - they are generally pretty docile, don't harass people, and have cool looking nests.  Not enough? Okay, they eat pests, most notably, they eat yellow jackets. A lot of them.

Yellow jackets are one of the most annoying bugs out there.  They're the wasp that looks like a bee and is always getting into your food if you're out on the patio. Yellow jackets will crawl into an open soda can (if you've ever been stung by a bug while drinking soda, it was a yellow jacket).

So having some bald-faced hornets around can really make a big difference.

This summer, we found a growing nest in our main tree in the backyward. It was tempting to exterminate it but we decided to hold off.  Our mercy was rewarded with the first summer since we've lived here of no yellow jackets. I can sit out on my patio with food and drink and read without having a bunch of yellow jackets buzzing around me.

So next time you see a bald-faced hornet, don't be too quick to try to swat it, they're beneficial insects.