European Hornet

November 6th, 2008 Posted in Stinging Insects




You hear some buzzing. You see its source. You know it stings…but what is it? If the stinging insect you’ve spotted is rather large, it may be a European hornet. How can you be sure?

This article will discuss:

  • Hornet identification

  • Life cycle of hornets

  • Habits of hornets

  • EcoSMART: an organic insecticide



Hornet Identification

Hornets are wasps from the genus Vespa. There are about 20 different species of hornets found mostly in Asia, but the European hornet is the only type found in North America after humans introduced it to the region. The first sighting in North America was reported around 1840 in New York.

European hornet description:

  • About 1″ to 1 1/4″ long

  • Head and thorax are red-brown in color

  • Abdomen is black with yellow markings

  • Has hair, but not as hairy as a bee

Some confuse the European hornet with the Bald faced hornet (a type of yellow jacket). However, Baldfaced hornets are black all over with white markings.

European hornets may also get confused with other yellow jackets, since they are relatives and resemble each other.

How to identify a hornets’ nest:

  • Rarely unprotected; built in hollows and voids rather than hanging from limbs or overhangs

  • Appears to be made of coarse, thick, tan paper-like material

  • Made from decayed wood fibers

  • May emit a noticeable stench in human structures

  • Nest entrances are usually about 6 feet above ground



Life Cycle of Hornets

Overwintering queens start building nests in the spring, usually in May, and lay eggs. When the eggs become larvae, the queen hunts for food and enlarges the nests for them.

When the larvae become adults, the asexual females perform these community duties (building the hive, gathering food, feeding larvae, and protecting the colony); meanwhile, the few male drones mate with the queen and die soon after they complete their sexual task. A colony can have 800-1000 workers.

Production of sexually active males and females builds up in July and mating occurs among them.

Hornets abandon their nests in the winter and only the new queens (and their eggs) survive after they find protected areas under tree bark or in human infrastructure. The rest of hornets die out after a heavy freeze around November. These new queens will begin new nests in the spring and the cycle continues with a new generation. Which means your hornet problem might not end without the intervention of an natural insecticide.



Habits of Hornets

Where they live:

Usually found in woodlands, European hornets most commonly nest in hollow trees. Some nest in attics, hollow walls, bird houses, barns and abandoned bee hives. Nests are rarely found free hanging or in unprotected areas.

They defend their nests, but are not as aggressive as yellow jackets.

What they eat:

  • Tree sap

  • Fruit

  • Flies

  • Bees

  • Yellow jackets

  • Grasshoppers

  • Other insects

European hornets will hunt in groups.





Other habits:

European hornets will fly at night during the summer, which differs from most stinging insects. They are often attracted to light, so they may fly toward flashlight beams, porch lights, and lantern lights.

To obtain sap, they may collect twigs and branches of trees and shrubs, including lilac, birch, ash, horse chestnut, dogwood, syringa, dahlia, rhododendron and boxwood, which sometimes kills the plants. This is one reason why European hornets are considered pests.




  1. 27 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!

  2. By dan on May 16, 2009

    Excellent! Thanks for the info, I couldn’t figure out what this huge bee like creature was, but now I do thanks to you! I really appreciate it!

  3. By EcoSMART Kara on May 18, 2009

    Glad it helped, dan!

  4. By Julie on Jul 15, 2009

    All right…we figured out what they are. Can I kill them now?

    The hornets I have do not seem aggressive but I’m terrified that they’ll attack me like some kind of B-Rated movie themed swarm and I’ll lose the ability to run normally and will trip over a non-existent stump, sprawling across the ground and allowing them to catch up to me.

    Do I need to call a professional exterminator?

  5. By kyla on Jul 17, 2009

    have you ever seen one up close?i have one at my house its huge and it stays in my front yard.no one comes to my house any more because they are afraid of the hornet. so i have to go to their house instead.

    love kyla

  6. By Beth on Jul 18, 2009

    Awesome info. I’m now sure what kind of hornets we have. I’m just not sure where they’re nesting. Any suggestions on locating the nest?

  7. By Josh on Jul 21, 2009

    Thanks for the info. I had seen one around my house for a while. I knew it was some variation of a hornet and wasp due to the markings. I was actually looking up a possible hybrid. I was undeer the impression that that hornets were black and white, not red with yellow and black stripes.Now I know. Thanks a lot.

  8. By Louis on Jul 24, 2009

    Spot on info! I was stung last night in my house (whoops, that’s not a june bug!), and had an allergic reaction; within 15 minutes my lips and face were swollen and discolored, my pulse was in my head, and my inner ears were pressurized. fairly alarming. This was my 2nd insect sting in a week, but the first was localized, no big deal.

    Welts appeared at the sting, all over my back. When my throat started closing up, I drove to the emergency room. They gave me a drip IV, and now I’m all hopped up [down] on Benadryl.

    Not knowing exactly what it was that stung me, I came home and found hornets in a BIRD NEST near my back door. Soon, I was suited up in motorcycle garb (+helmet,gloves), spraying them. Scary that they can live to sting again, unlike bees…

    flying @ night? check
    in bird’s nest (wooden box style)? check
    dogwoods and rhododendrons nearby? check
    attracted to light? (unfortunately, yes)
    So, thanks again for the info, and the pic for visual identifiction.

    I use Bioganic, but only have their crawling insect killer. Like it a lot.

  9. By Tom on Jul 30, 2009

    Now I know what I found in the basement today on the floor and in the fireplace. I think the nest is in the chimney. It’s hot here but I think I’ll fire up the gas fireplace and see if that gits rid of them.

  10. By Jackie on Aug 13, 2009

    Interesting facts…Thanks :) I had noticed these pests at night attracted to the porch light. Sometimes they would get into the house (at night). We decided to put out a bug zapper and it was literally carnage! We killed hundreds. We discovered the nest when a dead tree fell, really huge nest. We sprayed the remaining hornets. I collected parts of the nest, which is hanging on my wall…its quite impressive! I am terrified of these hornets, do not like them, and kill them with the Raid spray that shoots like 22 feet. They like my hummingbird’s food and tend to chase the hummingbirds away. I don’t think that there is any use for this pest.

  11. By Dusty on Sep 7, 2009

    Very informative. We’re now pretty sure this is what we have hanging around the house. A bit startled to see it buzzing around the porch light long after dark.

  12. By sheila on Sep 14, 2009

    we have them here and when i swat to kill them it takes alot to put them down if u dont do it right the first time they will get up and keep goin there huge and the stinger is bigger than a bee which makes me not . want to get stung and they swarm in the house beating themselves up by the light, they are very intimitading and scary, i do not even want to gat stung with there large stinger

  13. By Charity on Sep 21, 2009

    We definately have these things and they scare me to death! They are hanging around the trees on the back line of the property. I won’t even let my daughter play out back any more! Is there anyway to deter them from our area? I have to keep my porch lights off at night making it hard for us to get into the house after dark! I assume the nest is in the woods, but I am not going to look for it!

  14. By jake wise on Sep 28, 2009

    thanks alot, the other day i was attacked by them and we thought they were fruit wasps, but i didnt think they were because i got stung 4 times in the head and 3 times on the back, this information really helped

  15. By cindy on Sep 29, 2009

    We potentially have a nest. It looks like it has started under the shingles around the fire place on the roof. The temp has gotten colder and they are not coming inside. We have not located how or where other than through wall and window frame or fireplace. We cannot afford to have professionally removed the are wanting to charge us $600. Do we need to lift up shingles and remove nest if in the roofing material or can we seal up roof after freeze? Of course after spraying. We currently have 20 to 25 hornets inside our home right now and at least 5 a day before that. Help.

  16. By Steph E on May 26, 2010

    That was it! Talking about a terrifying night we had. This giant flying animal was hovering and buzzing around the bathroom and I turned around and saw it, it was something out of a horror movie!! We had no idea what it was and was not trying to deal with it. I’ve never seen an insect that’s a color of a bee but has a body the size of praying mantis! After fumigating the bathroom and running for our lives we finally killed it with insect spray. I knew I would find the answer with goggle! Thanks

  17. By Irene Hall on Jul 16, 2010

    I was interested to find out what kind of bees were so large and so drawn to my porch light. So I started researching bees and then wasps. But European hornets? Now my heart is beating faster and I’m kinda freaked out! Creepy! I think I know where they’re nesting, but I don’t want to approach them alone, unarmed, or unprotected. I guess I have to face my fear if I want to regain access to my garden shed. Thanks for the tutorial. Knowledge is power, right?! (Not looking forward to this…)

  18. By Emma on Jul 28, 2010

    Thanks for the info, i’ve got these things flying around my garden bold as brass, i think they are actually nesting in my neighbours garage! My son is terrified and won’t go in the garden, we’ve even had them starting to come in the house having to close windows and in this heat!! Think I’m going to get spraying Thanks Emma:)

  19. By James Nash on Jul 28, 2010

    We had a lone Hornet in the restaurant where i work as a Chef , and my customers wouldn’t come in till we got shot of it , i was to scared ( big man ? , no im a wimp if it is armed with a sting ) i mean Jees!, it was enormus in comparison toour usual British Wasps and had never encountered something so large and flying and ARMED ..we caught it in a cup and have released it with a stern warning in its ear ..

  20. By kayla on Jul 29, 2010

    we had this chappie flying round the house last night,after it s being walloped and slung out on its ear i waited till this morn to see what it was.couldnt find this one in my books! so did a search on google images.really hope we dont get another one,or the bigger orange ones that have been about in recent years,have had a couple of those as well!

  21. By Bridgette Taylor on Aug 15, 2010

    I have a hornets nest in a dead tree beside our house….i can’t even go out on my porch at night with the light on b/c it will attract 5 or 6 and then i cant get back in my house….i have no idea how to get rid of them, I’m scared to go near the nest b/c i don’t know exactly where it is and I’m afraid I’ll trip over it or something, anyone have any idea how to find exactly where the nest is without endangering myself???

  22. By dirwood on Aug 26, 2010

    I noticed European Hornets around my house a few years back. I got rid of one by spraying in the eaves of my house. He or she would attack me every time I walked out the house. A few years later, current time, I noticed one around my garage. It didn’t bother me, and would fly up to me without stinging. I noticed it chasing dragon flies. It was often flying in my way when I was working. Then I got worried that it or them might get a little aggressive. Started spraying and he or them got mad. Now they attack on occasion, but I haven’t got stung yet. I am working on my garage, so it could be the noise. I wasn’t going to do it, but after making phone calls in my area to exterminators none can help. they say you have to find the nest, and most say there nests are in trees toward the lower part of the tree. There may be some in my trees, which I have a few, not a lot. I believe there in my garage eaves. So I wasn’t going to do this, but I am getting a bee suit. I have sinus and throat problems, so I am a bit worried about getting stung in the neck area, may cause swelling and or death. So, to try and keep neighbors from laughing at me, I will treat areas in the morning so no one will see me, man what a laugh they will get if they see me, I’ve already been mocked because people often see me spraying around the house when I am working. My advice is, if they aren’t attacking, try to avoid them. If you have large cavities in your eaves, treat them in winter so when spring and summer come they won’t nest in your structure and caulk openings.

  23. By Crystal on Aug 27, 2010

    This is awesome info. It just like the others say they are HUGE. I got home a little bit ago carried my daughter in the dark garage to the house. Came back out to get some stuff from the car and I swear it sounded like an airplane was above me. Both car doors were open and I jumped back not sure what to expect. Swarming the lights was the weirdest I knew these kind if bugs do not come out at night. I did what any other scared e cat would do and shot with the 22 ft wasp spray at full blast had to be a good aim they are very tough. After I was sure they were dead I emptied a pickle jar to capture my kill to find out what the heck it was. The picture was perfect match. 5 down not sure where to go from here. I’ll freak if they are in my attic or attached to my house somewhere. Thanks for the info.

  24. By claire ward on Aug 31, 2010

    Hi I live in the Uk. 5 years ago we found a hornets nest high up in our georgian stable yard building, suspended between the floor joists in the loft area. Estimated to be 30 years old, had the pest control people in who injected a powder into it. Hornets died over course of 5 days. Told they were german hornets. Big yellow and black and about 1.25″ long, fairly aggressive. this year they have returned in force. Two smaller nests in the same place + two more outside in some large old round haylage bales covered in plastic. Just had pest control out to inject powder again, hope it works as at night when house lights are on they clammer at our windows and scoot in so quickly when the door is opened, cannot have any windos open at all, real scary stuff. Pest guy said that 5 years ago the person who did it could not have put enough int he nest and a queen must have survived.

  25. By Sue Hale on Sep 7, 2010

    We moved into our house a couple of months ago. We started noticing hornets outside, but thought nothing of it. Then one night, I was in the laundry room (that has flourescent lighting) doing laundry. The laundry room is right next to the entrance door. When the entrance door was opened, TWO BIG HORNETS came into my home and scared us half to death. They stayed close to the light, so it was very hard to get them, but we finally got them. Then last night, I heard my beagle puppy outside on the porch yelping in pain. We went outside to see what happened. He yelped when you touched his front left paw. We took him inside to get a better look. As we were inspecting Hank (the puppy), my son noticed a hornet flying up by the light. I immediately took my children and Hank to the bathroom and closed the door and left the man of the house to take care of this HUGE hornet. Jeff went though the house closing all the doors and when he got back to the kitchen where the hornet was last seen, the hornet was no where to be seen. I finally emerged out of the bathroom to help locate the hornet. It was 9 pm and I didn’t want to go to bed with a HUGE hornet in my home. After about 30 long minutes, the hornet finally came out of hiding. He had flown up into one of my can lights. Everyone ran back to the bathroom; leaving Jeff to fend off this HUGE thing! The hornet landed on him, but didn’t sting him. As soon as the hornet took flight, Jeff swung the broom at him and knocked him onto the floor. Jeff stomped on him, and that was it. After last night’s horrifying episode, I am determined to find the nest and have it taken care of. These HUGE things are scary! I’m more terrified of these hornets than I am of spiders or snakes. I know that sounds weird, but it’s the truth. You can get away from spiders and snakes more easily than a mad hornet.

    I wasn’t sure what type of hornet it was because I’d always heard that hornets stayed in their nests at night time. Jeff knew it was the light that was attacting them to the house, but he wasn’t sure what type of hornet we were dealing with. I hope to locate the nest soon and rid of these HUGE hornets for good!

    Thanks for all of the information!

  26. By dirwood on Sep 8, 2010

    Got some good info on getting rid of hornets, European that nest in your wall. Close all openings where they can enter. European Hornets don’t produce honey, so you can starve them to death by doing this, and you don’t have to use poison. Me, I opted for the Bee Suit and some Drione Dust and a hand duster. It seems to be working pretty good. I haven’t seen very many wasps at all, and so far no sign of any Hornets. But I just started doing this, so I’ll give it some time. At first I was a bit Leary about wearing the Bee Suit, but it was recommended by a Bee Keeper. A Hornet can still sting through a Bee Suit, but it does give some added protection. I went around my garage where all the cracks and holes are and dry dusted with drion all those areas. did it early in the morning. Gonna do it again in a week then seal all the openings. Then hopefully I can finish my work without getting stung.

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  2. Jan 20, 2009: How to Get Rid of Hornets | Organic Insecticides Blog by EcoSMART
  3. Nov 4, 2009: Could a Hornet Bee Anymore Annoying? Types of hornets

27 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers! (details)