HORNET

Identification, Facts, & Control

Latin Name

Vespa crabro

Appearance

1in long yellow and black like a yellow jacket but with some red tint.

Hornet

Identification and Nest

Hornets are colored like yellow jackets. But, you will notice some red hue in the face of the wasp. Also, the hornet usually makes its nest above ground, such as in trees, shrubs, and on the eaves of structures. The nest may contain as many as 10,000 individuals. And the entire hornet nest is covered with layers of paper, giving it roughly the shape of a gray football with a hole in one end for entry and exit.

Life History

The queen and males mate in the fall. The males then. die and the queen overwinters in a protected place such as a crack, under loose bark, or occasionally in an attic or similar sheltered location.

In the spring the queen emerges from this protected place and selects a site for a new nest. She lays eggs, then collects insects or other meat and feeds it to the young larvae. She continues this until her first brood becomes young adult workers, and then she becomes a full time egg layer while the adult workers continue to expand the nest and collect food. The hornets expand their football-like nest on underside of the eaves of a building or whatever similar location has been chosen. During this time the workers make up almost the total adult population of the colony. They feed on nectar, honeydew, fruit juices or sap as they continue to feed the young larvae insect prey and bits of meat. ln early to mid-August, males and "queens" (instead of the workers that were produced all summer) begin to be produced. They mate nearby.

And with the onset of winter, the males die and the females hibernate. They abandon the nest and it is not used again. Throughout the season the adult food includes liquids high in sugar, such as fruit juices and probably almost any kind of meat, including many kinds of insects.

Click on a species of wasps below to learn further information.

Mud Dauber