The Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is the world’s largest hornet; it lives in the low mountains and forests of temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East. It occupies spaces near rotted pine roots and pre-existing tunnels dug by rodents. Physically, the Asian Giant Hornet has a light orange head, brown antennae with a yellow-orange base, and dark brown to black eyes and ocelli. The stinger can inject a large amount of potent venom. Its diet consist of larger insects, tree sap, and honey from honey bee colonies.
The Asian Giant Hornet has an overall body length between .98”-1.77” (25-45 mm) for workers and 1.57”-1.97” (40-50 mm) for the Queen. The body width is .28”-.51” (7-13 mm) and the body height is .24”-.47” (6-12 mm). The wingspan of the Asian Giant Hornet is in the range of 2.75”-3” (70-76 mm). The typical lifespan of the Asian Giant Hornet is between 3-5 months for workers and around 1 year for the Queen.
The Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is the world’s largest hornet; it lives in the low mountains and forests of temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East. It occupies spaces near rotted pine roots and pre-existing tunnels dug by rodents. Physically, the Asian Giant Hornet has a light orange head, brown antennae with a yellow-orange base, and dark brown to black eyes and ocelli. The stinger can inject a large amount of potent venom. Its diet consist of larger insects, tree sap, and honey from honey bee colonies.
The Asian Giant Hornet has an overall body length between .98”-1.77” (25-45 mm) for workers and 1.57”-1.97” (40-50 mm) for the Queen. The body width is .28”-.51” (7-13 mm) and the body height is .24”-.47” (6-12 mm). The wingspan of the Asian Giant Hornet is in the range of 2.75”-3” (70-76 mm). The typical lifespan of the Asian Giant Hornet is between 3-5 months for workers and around 1 year for the Queen.