European hornetVespa crabro — habitat, diet and reproduction

Large European hornet with a yellow-red head, big eyes and a brown and yellow body on a plank

European hornet (Vespa crabro) on a piece of wood. · Aconcagua (talk) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0). Cropped and resized.

The European hornet is the largest social wasp in Europe: workers are about 2.5 cm long and queens up to 3.5 cm. It has a yellow-red head, a brown thorax and an abdomen striped yellow and brown. Although it looks frightening, it is less aggressive than common wasps and usually attacks only when its nest is threatened.

Quick facts

Common name	European hornet
Scientific name	Vespa crabro
Lifespan	Workers a few weeks; queen about a year
Length	Workers about 25 mm; queens up to 35 mm
Diet	Adults: sap, fruit; larvae: insects brought by workers
Predators	Birds such as the honey buzzard, some mammals
Conservation status	Not evaluated; widespread, locally protected in some countries
Distribution	Europe, Asia; introduced to North America
Habitat	Woods, orchards, parks, tree holes and lofts
Family	Vespidae
Lifestyle	Colonies with one queen

Interesting facts

Unlike many wasps, the hornet also flies at night and is attracted to light.
The European hornet usually does not attack healthy beehives, unlike the invasive Asian hornet.
In Germany, the European hornet is a protected species.
Workers chew wood and bark to make the “paper” of the nest.

Characteristics

The hornet has a robust body covered in fine hairs. Its head is yellow and red, its eyes large and brown, and its thorax reddish-brown. The abdomen is striped yellow and brown with small dark spots.

Females have a venomous sting; males have none and cannot sting. The queen is much larger than the workers.

Behaviour

Hornets live in colonies led by a queen. In spring, the overwintered queen starts the nest alone, then workers take over.

They are active by day and on warm nights, sometimes coming to lit windows. Workers defend the nest, and the sting is painful, but away from the nest hornets usually avoid people.

Habitat and distribution

The species lives across almost all of Europe and much of Asia and was introduced to eastern North America in the nineteenth century.

In Romania it is common in broadleaf woods, orchards and parks, nesting in tree holes, lofts, bird boxes or walls.

Diet and feeding

Adults feed on tree sap, ripe fruit and nectar. For the larvae, workers hunt insects: flies, beetles, butterflies and sometimes bees.

By catching many insects, hornets help control pests.

Reproduction and life cycle

The queen lays eggs in the hexagonal cells of the nest. Workers feed the larvae, which become adults after a few weeks.

In autumn new males and queens appear and mate. Males and workers die with the cold, while young queens overwinter in rotten wood or under bark. The nest is not reused.

Name and history

The scientific name Vespa crabro comes from Latin: “vespa” means wasp and “crabro” was the Roman name for the hornet.

The Romanian name “gărgăun” is old and also describes grumpy, “buzzing” people. Hornets are related to bees and bumblebees.

Conservation and threats

The European hornet is not globally threatened, but some countries, such as Germany, protect it by law. Loss of hollow old trees reduces its nest sites.

The sting can be dangerous for people allergic to venom. Nests where they cause no trouble can be left alone until autumn, when the colony dies naturally.