About Hornets
Hornets are insects in the Vespidae family group which is a large wasp family, comprising around 5,000 different species. Therefore, hornets are actually a type of wasp. They are eusocial wasps and live in large nests with an egg-laying queen and workers (which don’t reproduce). All species of hornet are within the Vespa genus and almost all of them are native to Asia. However, the European hornet (Vespa crabro) is native to North America, Europe, and Russia. The European hornet is the only species of true hornet that is native to North America, but this can be easily confused as the closely related yellowjackets also tend to be called “hornets” within North America. Although many hornets share the distinctive yellow and black appearance of wasps, others can be reddish-brown to black. However, in general, they tend to be larger and fatter than other wasps. The size of hornets also varies widely between species, with the largest having a body length of up to 2.2 inches. Hornets typically live in woodland habitats and gardens where they build communal nests by chewing up wood to make a “paper” nest. Nests are usually situated in hollow trees or other similar areas. However, some species even nest underground. Hornets often feed on nectar and anything else that contains a lot of sugar. Honey and the sap from oak trees are particularly favored. However, many adult hornets also prey on other insects – such as honeybees and grasshoppers. Prey is usually killed by stinging before being fed to the larvae in the nest.
Sting
Hornets are generally considered to be more dangerous than other wasps and bees as they fiercely defend their nests and can sting repeatedly. In fact, if even one hornet is killed near the nest then it releases pheromones which cause the entire nest of hornets to mobilize as one. This leads to all of the workers leaving the nest to come out and attack the threat. Hornets are able to sting repeatedly because their stinger doesn’t detach from their bodies like that of other insects, meaning that they can pull it out and sting again. Hornet venom contains a large quantity of acetylcholine which causes their stings to be more painful than those of wasps. Some hornet species are even classed as some of the most venomous insects in the entire world!
The Largest Hornet ever Recorded
The largest hornet ever recorded is the Asian giant hornet which can reach an incredible size of 2.2 inches long. It also has a wingspan of around 3 inches and a stinger that is 0.25 inches long. However, queens are significantly larger than the workers. Native to Asia, Asia giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) typically live in mountains and forests, but not regions at high altitudes. Their heads are a distinctive orange color with brown antennas. They also have a dark brown thorax and yellow, brown, and orange banded abdomens. Asian giant hornets are one of the few hornet species which nests almost exclusively underground. Quite often, the nests are made around rotten tree roots in tunnels that have previously been made by other animals – such as snakes or rodents. Nests can be as deep as 2 feet and comprise up between four and seven combs. The uppermost comb is usually abandoned after the summer, while the largest comb is in the middle or lower part of the nest. Asian giant hornets are sociable insects and the entire colony usually works together to obtain food and care for the young.
Murder Hornets
Incredibly, Asian giant hornets are also known as “murder hornets” and there are several reasons they have such a chilling nickname. The first reason is that they are the most venomous of all the species of hornets in the world. With their quarter-inch-long stinger, Asian giant hornets can inject some of the most potent venom of any insect. This venom can be incredibly harmful to humans, and especially to anyone who is allergic. However, if stung enough times then it can even be fatal to people who are not allergic to the venom. Another reason for their nickname is their highly predatory feeding habits. Asian giant hornets prey on many medium to large insects – such as honey bees, wasps, beetles, and mantises. However, honey bees are their favorite prey and they like to feed the honey bee larvae to their own young. Asian giant hornets subsequently completely destroy the bee hives in their mission to access the larvae. One single hornet can kill up to 40 honey bees in one minute which is certainly a frightening killing spree. They are able to do this by using their large mandibles to strike at the bees and literally slice them in half. As Asian giant hornets are much larger than honey bees and have heavily armored bodies, the bee stings are completely useless as a means of defense against such a voracious predator. Given their predatory nature, Asian giant hornets are classed as an invasive species in several countries, including the US and the UK. This is because of their ability to decimate bee populations within minutes, as we’ve just described. Additionally, they have no real predators which mean that there is very little threat to their population.
