European Gaint Hornets

[Dan Roper]

There seem to be more encounters with these hornets in the Georgia mountains.

Reputedly, they are not aggressive and seldom sting humans. But when a bear has been clawing at their nest hole, they react violently to anything large in the vicinity.

Late last August, I got stung badly while on the Pinhoti Trail on Mill Creek Mountain in NW Georgia. Two weeks later, a friend and I got stung multiple times on the Jacks River Trail in the Cohutta Wilderness Area. Last week, I saw a sign posted at the High Point Trailhead on the Pinhoti, near Taylors Ridge, Georgia. I think the sign had been posted a month or so ago after hikers had issues with a nest. During my hike, i saw where the nest had been pulled from a low knothole, presumably by a bear.

The time of maximum exposure to agitated hornets seems to be August and September. That's when they engage in swarming activity around their nests. Perhaps that's also when bears molest their nests.

I wondered if WB folks are seeing anything like that elsewhere? Or is it just here in Georgia?

[Mother Natures Son]

Nope. None up North. It snow in Colorado today. Coming this way. That should take care of them.

[Daybreak]

Probably vesta crabro , common name European hornet with a paper nest. I just call them hornets. Been bit 2-3 times in Vermont on the leg hiking the trail. They range from N. Georgia to NH/VT less common further south and west. I think "European Giant hornets" or "Giant European hornets" are really European hornet queens. Unless you're referring to several other invasive species that recently got name changes

[Leo L.]

...
I think "European Giant hornets" or "Giant European hornets" are really European hornet queens.
...

To the best of my knowledge, this are "our" (European) hornets, that are very common here. We love/hate them, the positive side is that they love to catch, kill and eat wasps so when you've hornets on the property you most likely will have no wasps. The negative side is, that they are fully protected by law and you can't do much to get rid of them.
My personal way of dealing with them is to suc them with a vacuum cleaner and to drive the filter content miles away.
Sorry this is no help while hiking.

Everything seems to grow bigger in the US, the said hornets are not that very big here in Europe, approx 1" in average.
You most likely will never see the Queen of a hornets nest, she will only leave her well-protected place in the hieve when some catastrophe is going to wipe out the whole swarm, in the very last minute the Queen will grab the "Weisel" and escape the drama.

The poison of the Hornet is a bit less poisonous, but more in amount than the wasp's, and its delivered by a thicker stinger. So it might be more painful, but in average of about the same (little) danger.
Good luck!

[HankIV]

Stun them with a little smoke and throw em in an omelette. Yum.

[Leo L.]

If you know about a nest of angry hornets nearby, best you can do is to put on your raingear, including the cape and if you've got a headnet, the better.

[Mfturner]

Funny, I think I’ve always called them the wrong name (calling them Japanese hornets as kids, which shouldn’t exist in NC, and in any event the coloring and eyes look more like a European Hornet than an Asian Hornet). I probably often confuse them with cicada killers. The ones I’ve seen that look like this are larger, as recently as a month ago one was cruising through our yard. It was probably two inches long, so size wise it might have been a cicada killer, but coloring wise I recall it looking more like a European hornet. So maybe a queen? In any event, these have never been very aggressive, yellow jackets are easy to step on their nests which triggers their defenses, and bald faced hornets with tree colonies are easy to disturb. Wasp paper nests are obvious.

[Night Train]

I am a newcomer to California but spending a lot of time in the Sierra-Nevada's, I have not experienced any hornets like that.....yet.

[MichaelK7]

I just passed this monstrosity on Tuesday while hiking in Norvin Green State Forest, NJ.
Thankfully, it seemed to be abandoned, as i saw zero activity, but didn't get too close to find out I was wrong.
Largest hive/nest I've ever seen.

50284

[Leo L.]

Wow, thats something!
Very typical for hornets, the high bow-shaped texture of the outer skin. Wasps, being much smaller than hornets, would produce much smaller bow-textures.

[Tipi Walter]

As far as backpacking in NC and TN---I see and get stung mostly by yellow jackets aka ground hornets. Vicious when by their nests.

50285
Out in the woods yellow jackets usually but not always have nests in the ground ergo they are so hard to see when hiking. Sometimes they will build their nests suspended as in pic. Had such a nest under my tipi cover by the entrance---soaked a rag on a stick in gasoline and shoved it in the nest.

50286
Another common hornet is this---what I call the white faced or bald faced hornet. They almost always have visible above ground paper nests. They are less aggressive but deliver a more painful "bite" than yellow jackets.

50287
I've seen the big asian hornet several times when hiking and wondered where they live and what a sting would be like. As far as I can tell they travel solo and mind their own business. One time I was backpacking Hemlock Creek trail and set up camp by the creek. I hung out by the rocks in the creek and saw one of these giant hornets walking on some rocks when a giant salamander jumped out from under a rock and ate the thing. Surprised the crap out of me.

[Mfturner]

That’s a great comparative photo, thanks for that. As far as flying stinging insects go, eastern yellow jackets and some sort of dark colored wasps (that built small paper nests in the eves of houses) wwere always the most aggressive, esp ground dwelling yellow jackets when you run your lawn mower over them LOL. Bald faced hornets were in the woods, left me alone until I got too close to their nest, but I’ve seen unlucky friends chased down the street by them as a kid, multiple stings per bee. I agree that what were probably Asian hornets were always solo and left me alone.

[LazyLightning]

Wow the cicada killer is huge but looks small in that comparison picture!