European Hornet
The European Hornet is easily recognized by its robust body with brown and yellow markings. These wasps are powerful and are the largest of the hornets and yellow jacket group. The females can measure up to 1½ inches long.
Though they are more mild mannered than the yellow jacket; the good news is, they are not prone to attack. However, they will defend their colony when their nest is threatened. If they do sting, the sting is very painful and may cause allergic reactions to those that are sensitive to pest stings.
The female workers hunt for live grasshoppers, flies, and yellow jackets. After they chew the insects, they feed them to the larvae in the cells of the nest combs. The workers will also raid bee hives and take the bees and their babies for food. Their nest could contain up to 1,000 workers. As winter approaches, the workers will die off. The future queen abandons her paper nest and looks for another protected site, such as under loose bark, rotting stumps or hollow trees. These queens overwinter and each queen then searches for a new nest in the spring.
Nests are typically built in sheltered sites above ground. For example, a tree’s open cavity would make an ideal home. However, they can also be found in barns, attics, and porches. If you smell a horrible stench in your home, the European hornet may have built its nest in one of your wall voids. We suggest removing the nests from your home and any other structures. You don’t want dead insects and nest debris to attract other pests.
