The European Hornet (Vespa crabro) is a eusocial wasp native to Europe. They occupy paper nests that have a paper comb on the inside, an envelope, and a single entry hole on the outside. These are constructed by workers with materials like twigs, branches, and other available plant resources. The European Hornet is often mistaken for the Asian Giant Hornet for their coloration and abdomen pattern which is striped brown and yellow. They are carnivores that hunt large insects like beetles, wasps, large moths, dragonflies, and mantises, but they will also eat fallen fruit and other sugary foods.
The European Hornet has an overall body length between .71”-.94” (18-24 mm) for workers and .98”-1.38” (25-35 mm) for the Queen. The body width is .16”-.26” (4-6.5 mm) and the body height is between .18”-.28” (4.5-7 mm). The wingspan of the European Hornet is in the range of .43”-.63” (11-16 mm). The typical lifespan of the European Hornet is between 2-6 weeks for workers and around 1 year for the Queen.
The European Hornet (Vespa crabro) is a eusocial wasp native to Europe. They occupy paper nests that have a paper comb on the inside, an envelope, and a single entry hole on the outside. These are constructed by workers with materials like twigs, branches, and other available plant resources. The European Hornet is often mistaken for the Asian Giant Hornet for their coloration and abdomen pattern which is striped brown and yellow. They are carnivores that hunt large insects like beetles, wasps, large moths, dragonflies, and mantises, but they will also eat fallen fruit and other sugary foods.
The European Hornet has an overall body length between .71”-.94” (18-24 mm) for workers and .98”-1.38” (25-35 mm) for the Queen. The body width is .16”-.26” (4-6.5 mm) and the body height is between .18”-.28” (4.5-7 mm). The wingspan of the European Hornet is in the range of .43”-.63” (11-16 mm). The typical lifespan of the European Hornet is between 2-6 weeks for workers and around 1 year for the Queen.
