Temperment: Aggressive
Habit: Social
Nest Location: Above-ground
Food: Insects, rotting fruit, sweet liquids
Description:
Hornets are large, black insects with white or yellow marks. A hornet's nest resembles a big gray, rough papery egg with the larger end at the top and a single dark entrance hole near the bottom. Nests are usually built under eaves or hidden in shrubbery or trees. They are started in the spring by a hornet queen who has survived the winter in a pile of leaves or a rotting log. The nest inside consists of several layers of cells enclosed by the paper envelope and not visible from the outside. The queen lays all of the eggs that produce the worker hornets. Colonies of over 300 workers are common.
Bald-faced hornets, paper wasps and yellow jackets are the common, troublesome wasps. They capture insects to feed their young throughout the summer. In the late fall, they stop rearing their young and concentrate on
feeding on flower nectar and other sweet liquids. This is when they become serious nuisances around back yards, picnic areas, soda machines and other places where beverages or foods containing sugar are found. In
addition to the change in their food habits, colonies have reached their peak sizes and encounters with people become more frequent.
Special Notes:
These insects are very sensitive to disturbance and will defend their nest fiercely. When hornets are particularly agitated, they tend to attack an intruder's face. A sting in the eye may cause permanent blindness.
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