Bald-Faced Hornets Attack US Postal Worker on Dartmouth Drive, Wheaton

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A U.S. Postal Service worker was stung dozens of times Tuesday afternoon by hornets along her route in west suburban Wheaton in the 900-block of Dartmouth Drive. A postal service spokesperson said the female carrier was stung 30-50 times on her head and neck while delivering mail.

Landscapers had unsuccessfully tried to remove the hornets’ nest from a tree as the postal worker walked past the damaged hornet nest.

The nest appears to be a Bald-Faced Hornet nest, which are commonly built in trees or shrubs at any height. Bald-Faced hornets have less tolerance for humans in their nest space compared to the common yellowjacket or wasp. Bald-Faced Hornets are commonly encountered by Forestry Department employees in Chicagoland suburbs. The Bald-Faced Hornet sting is also more painful than a yellowjacket or honeybee sting. Enlargement of the ABC 7 Chicago video shows a few of the hornets with their characteristic white face and white-tipped bodies.

Bald-Faced Hornets are black and white unlike most other hornets, wasps and bees. Their faces are white, and the tips of their bodies near the stinger are also white.

BaldFacedHornets
Bald-Faced Hornet (file photo).

A pest control worker called to the scene said the insects will remain agitated for several hours.

A spokesperson said the worker is being treated in the emergency room at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, but is not expected to be admitted for the night. The US Postal Worker is expected to make a full recovery.




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