Field Guide
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Hornet
Vespa crabro
Not yet photographed by the community
UK's largest wasp; yellow and chestnut; less aggressive than feared.
Species Profile
Not listed; common and widespread
- Lifespan
- Queens 1 year; workers 4–6 weeks in summer, longer in autumn; males (drones) a few weeks
- Size & Weight
- Queens 25–35 mm; workers 18–25 mm; males 21–28 mm
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed woodlands, parks, gardens, and hedgerows with suitable cavities for nest-building.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread across southern England and Wales, becoming increasingly common further north; resident year-round, though populations vary seasonally.
- Diet
- Adults feed on sugary substances including tree sap, fruit, and insect honeydew; protein obtained from live prey and carrion.
- Prey
- Flies, wasps, bees, and other insects; also scavenge dead arthropods and vertebrate carrion
- Predators
- Badgers, birds (particularly Great Spotted Woodpeckers), and parasitic flies; robber flies prey on individuals
- Mating Season
- Late summer to autumn (August–October)
- Breeding
- Queens establish nests in spring; colonies grow throughout summer, reaching 400–700 workers by autumn; single annual colony cycle
- Behaviour
- Social insects living in annual colonies with a strict caste system of queen, workers, and males. Colonies are typically peaceful but will defend nests aggressively if threatened. They are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal foragers.
- •The European hornet is the only true hornet native to Britain; it is larger and less aggressive than many wasp species
- •Nests are constructed from chewed wood fibres mixed with saliva, creating a distinctive papery, grey material
- •Workers do not overwinter; only newly fertilised queens survive in protected sites to establish new colonies in spring
- •Hornets have been documented using their mandibles to strip bark from dead trees for nesting material
- •They play an important ecological role as predators of pest insects and as prey for larger predators
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