Friday 18 November 2005

European Hornet (Vespa crabro)

OTHER NAMES: Hornet
Latin Etymology: Vespa ("wasp") crabro ("hornet")
Queen European Hornet (subspecies Vespa crabro vexator) at Geddington, Northants - May 2019

Featured Subspecies: Vespa crabro vexator
Weight: 450mg  /  Length: 25-35mm  /  Wingspan: ?
UK STATUS NOT EVALUATED / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The European Hornet is a large wasp native to Europe and introduced to North America - while scarcer than more common wasp species it is found fairly commonly around woodland edges, particularly in Autumn to tie in with fruit growth in my experience.  They have a sting, but do not usually seem as agressive as other smaller species of wasp.  They construct large elaborate papery nests in which they reproduce.

Related Species:
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Vespa
SUBSPECIES: V. c. altaica, V. c. borealis, V. c. caspica, V. c. chinensis, V. c. crabroniformis, V. c. crabro, V. c. flavofasciata, V. c. germana, V. c. oberthuri, V. c. vexator

 - Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly common resident
 - Seen at Geddington among other locations

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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