Actually, all of these species tend to do this. They smell using their antennae, and of course see with their large compound eyes, so grooming is very important to them. I used to have honey bee colonies, and it was fun to watch the drones get ready for their mating flights (i.e., flights away from the hive during which the goal is to encounter a queen with which to mate). These drones, with their oversized eyes and thicker antennae, groomed assiduously before taking off.
here's a link to one of his other vids where you can see a drone preparing for takeoff: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9TENMPsi5RU.html
@@Marty-McFlying aficanised bees may become the only option if the giant hornet becomes widespread, they have them in france, only a matter of time till a queen flies over the channel, then were knackered.
@@FrederickDunn Thank you so much for this video!! I just had one of these flying around me yesterday right outside my apartment and it scared the bejeezus out of me. I too thought it could be a murder hornet as I had never seen the likes of it before, and it was even bigger than this one in the video! One thing I did clearly see on it though was the furry "collar" which the murder hornet doesn't seem to have. I'm very relieved it's a non aggressive species (to humans). Again, thank you for the video!
Giant Hornets are a lot bigger than the EU Hornets (they grow up to 2 inches long). They are also more of a darker orange and has longer mandibles, which helps them to decapitate their preys. While EU do resembles normal wasp, but super sized and a orange. So if you have a good eye, you can know which one is which.
I live in upste NY.I had a nest of these in the wall of my garage a few years ago.At night a few would come in the door and hover around the flourescent lights. They sounded like hummingbirds or louder.I took them down with a can of wd40 or starting fluid when they swooped down at me.A few days later I found the entrance to the nest and emptied a can of wasp and hornet spray in the hole.The next day I cut into the wall and couldnt believe the size of the nest and the amount of dead hornets. I usually leave nature alone but when you move into my house or garage,,,Its open season on your ass! :) Thanks for the great vids.
European houses have solid walls cuz of harsh winters not these insects. This hornet is almost extinct in Europe. In Germany you have to pay huge fine if you destroy their nest.
my close neighbour had a nest ... but this year I only heard one humming like a ,well, loud hummingbird and it was sitting on my window side and did not come into my bedroom this time-....... iI have three big ones drown in vodka/freezed and dried in my collection :-) ...they are scary looking like huge yellow jackets....//hi from stockholm , Sweden
I remember my parents had a big pear tree in the middle of the lot. The stem 2 feet in diameter. In autumn the pears were lying under cracked and smashed since it was to high up to pick them. Bees and wasps everywhere. They were sitting inside the hollow pears already when they were still on the tree, eating the sweet pears. And we small boys barefooted searching our safe way between the pears. Some hornets have been there too. I caught one hornet in a marmalade glass and brought it to school. They are relatively harmless, not aggressive i mean. When you grab a pear and the backside is hollow with hornets inside, you will regret it of course. Never happened to me, though. Some wasps hit me but not too many.
Old video but absolutely glad I came across it. Late this last summer I started seeing more and more of these lumbering around the lights of our house decks and inside the garage (one hornet at a time but darn scary). Did not see a nest anywhere until enough leaves fell revealing it right directly across the street about 30 feet up. Later that fall, I was brushing some leaves off of some scrap wood and got stung by one. By far the worse sting I have ever experienced in my 56 years of living in the NY countryside.
I do photography and live in Tennessee. I was with a client and I got stung 4 times by 2 of these and my client got stung by one. Didn’t see a nest or anything just walking and got attacked.
Wow Courtney, what a strange event that was! Most people consider them to be "gentle giants", did someone do a thorough search of the area for a nest? Thank you for sharing and I'm sorry that happened to you and your client. I hope your photography insurance was up to date, even venomous stings or other oddball injuries can come back on a professional photographer if they were engaged as a client at the time. Medical insurance is crazy and they have to come after you first. Thank goodness no one was allergic!
I am pretty sure my friend got one of these caught in his hair once. He went into the bush the grab a frisbee and cma e out and had this huge thing in his hair. Luckily it must have been away from its nest because it didn't sting him and it wasn't super aggressrive. It was really scary though.
I actually held a giant European hornet once, it was pretty goddamn big yet so docile. Yellow Jackets give the worst reputation for being permanently pissed off at everything. If you can hold on and keep your hands steady, it starts to basically treat you like a giant hornet. It won't sting (don't scare it tho..) its like a flying doggy...downfall was I couldn't find a leash that small
One nice thing of this video, it shows me what kind the big hornets are in my back yard. And I'm sorry, but I hate them. They are keeping my hummingbirds away from their feeders. I even saw 2 of them go after a hummer. One stung me when I took a feeder down to refill it. Luckily I'm not allergic to stings like my sister is. We have wasps that are not aggressive and I don't want to hurt them or my honey bees. But these monsters are a big problem. They attack my butterflies! I worked very hard to make a polinator garden for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. And every thing was peaceful until these European Hornets showed up this year. I set up a pan with hummingbird food with some apple juice, set far away from the hummingbird feeders. So my hummers could feed. It helped keep the hornets away. But they are still going after the butterflies. Yesterday the songbirds were dodging them trying to get to the sunflower feeders. So they aren't wonderful non aggressive beasts. And in trying to not kill them, more and more are swarming around the pan, and to refill the pan I have to wade through the swarm. So I'm done. I don't know where the nest is. But I'm calling an exterminator.
scientific name is vespa cabro, if anyone is interested. and no, no need to hunt those hornets down. in fact they feed on yellowjackets and bald-faced, and do not stalk people or show enhanced aggression besides a certain radius (up to 15 meters) around their hive.
Best video I've seen on European Hornets. I live in southern england, UK and have had nests of them in our loft and nearby dead oak trees over the years.. Never been stung yet but then don't disturb them. They don't seem to re use their old nest as only once been in our loft.. Re the video I've seen very similar preparations for flight with ones I've rescued from in our house and released outside. Fascinating watching them eating other insects like our wasps on the fruit trees. One very strange behaviour was when we had the nest in the loft the past year. The were attracted to our outside porch light like moths, stayed buzzing around it most of the night and in the morning would be found on the ground below writhing around and "stinging" the air. No I did not pick them up!! It was a compact fluorescent light CFL and I guess producing a fair bit of UV. In the end we switched it off before going back to a tungsten bulb. Now off to examine my old pictures to see if mine were males or females - most informed comments you have had to your video. Thanks..
What an amazing video, we get lots of these where we live in the uk. Absolutely amazing video, it's nice that you demonstrate that she's not dangerous unless you attack the nest 👍🏼. It makes me feel more comfortable about them 😁
How many people are now seeing/have previously seen a European hornet and are now panicking, thinking they saw an Asian hornet? Relax, you probably didn't. They are both big, but with different markings and behaviors. Look up the difference before needlessly freaking out. Ugh. Media fear mongering strikes again.
We don't see these here in the north of England, as they would be amazing to photograph with the macro lens. Will look out for them when in New Jersey next. Those bloody Yellow Jackets were annoying when I was with a few friends having a picnic in a reservation in NJ last September. European Hornets are not as mischievous as their smaller relatives. Great video of a beautiful and placid insect.
Thank you, yes, they are extraordinary. As for yellow jackets, we have almost none this year... I may have done too good a job at cleaning them up last fall when I was collecting their Queens... thanks for taking time to post!
Frederick Dunn 👍👍 Vespa crabro is amazing and so happy you don't present this specimen/species in a negative way. There are too many videos on here of people destroying their nests for fun. Very informative. 👍
I was amazed at the power of their wings when trying to fly.It was moving debris that I would of never thought with wings so thin could move twigs.As huge as their abdomen is,it is impressive that they can fly.I am terrified of insects and I am trying to become more knowledgeable.I grew up in Detroit so insects of this size and the abundance of them really freak me out.
It's also why you can hear them flying by... they do just lumber along and with that heavy body, they generate a lot of thrust when they take off and hover. I think the more you learn about them, the less fear you'll have. Information defeats fears... all the best!
He's got more balls than I do and I'm scared to death of bees, wasps, and hornets. I have gotten stung by a hornet because I was too close to the nest but while I am still scared of them I do understand the benefits that they bring.
The Bald Faced Hornet is actually a wasp, as are many other varieties, even though they may have "hornet" in their common name, they are wasps. Thanks for asking... I know it's confusing.
She's a beauty for sure ! These are so enormous, and powerful I'm kinda amazed that she would hunt a bald faced hornet, which is extremely aggressive ! At any rate awsome vid ! Thanks so much ! And your choice of music was so hypnotic Bravo !! !!
Big hornets take out smaller hornets (and any other bees and wasps they can overpower), and smaller hornets take out yellow jackets (and, again, anything else they can overpower). There are many videos, mostly from Japan, that show these interactions.
I have one question. I noticed in north africa insects with the size of hornets but all black with only a yellow spot on the back of the abdomen. They seemed to have the same weight as hornets since i happen to run into one. But i am not sure for they are from the wasp family. They were around only few weeks in some numbers and always near flowers. And there was no sound at all when flying. I tried to look for that in the internet but found nothing. I saw them in different years always the same season. In the desert, the camp has been about 5 miles from the next oasis. That is a kind of forest of palm trees and a population of about 3000 people. No open water.
Hey Fredrick, I have a question to ask you about the hornet you had in the dish; before she was about to fly off to wherever her nest was, she had some red drops of something come out of her butt. What was that red stuff anyways. I'd really like to know. Anyways be safe around bugs like that. Thank you, and God bless.
Thanks Fredrick. I just curious about what that red stuff was. Keep up all the good work. I do find your videos very educational. Take care and God bless.
Frederick what is that fluid at the bottom of the petrie dish, it almost looks like she is doing some kind of dance. I mean what is she doing that this fluid?
This is great video.I have a few of these making holes in the ground beside my house.I thought they were ant hills but I started seeing more of these.I saw one killing a big horse fly.Which is not easy and trying to draging it in hole.
Today while out for a jog I found a large dead hornet so I brought it home. It was the first time I've seen one so I mistaken it for a murder hornet. Thanks for your informational video it turn out to be a European Hornet still very large.
I looked on the Internet to find out about these with no luck, I should have looked here first! Every time I turn on my porch light I get one of these hornets. They are BIG! Must be a nest really close. What should I do? Is there anything I can do? Cathy Wv.
Hi Cathy, I don't think you really have to do anything? The nest may be far off and too high off the ground to access. They aren't that threatening to people. I'm not sure if you live in the city or country, but you can feed wild birds in your yard by putting out several feeder stations. When you turn on your porch light, it's coming in to feed on the insects that are attracted to that light. The nest may be in a dead tree, or cavity left by a dead branch etc.. but again, they are no where near as defensive and likely to sting as are the yellow jackets and bald-faced hornets. I haven't been able to find a single specimen this year!
Frederick Dunn Wow.... I didn't expect a reply so soon! Thank you.... I'm out in the country and sit on my porch a lot.. It's been a very strange summer as far as the bugs being attracted to the light, hasn't been any. Only the hornets.. Very few moths, no hard shell bugs at all. Really strange. Usually covered with bugs after only a few minutes with the light on. Thanks for answering and I'll not wast time worrying about them...... Cathy WV.....
unfortunately there's little one could do as they are attracted to light sources at dusk or early night fall when at close proximity of a nest. try indirect lightening of the porch or guard the seating area with mosquito net.
I saw one of these at the French River, just south of Sudbury this past weekend. They are freakishly huge compared to NA vespids. First one I've ever seen in person. I'm hoping the severe northern winter keeps these things from invading to much of Canada. Our pollinators are under enough stress as it is.
That looks almost identical to what I found flying around in my bedroom. Not sure how it got in here, maybe through the attic. I caught it and took a few pics of it. Mine had wider black stripes than this one, though. Then I saw another one flying around my back porch the next day. Then this evening I saw another one outside my window. I hope their nest isn't in my attic!
Are the hornets and yellow jackets bigger than bees? Reason I ask is , I'm wondering if there is some type of cage that can be built to put around the bee hive boxes that only allow bees in. Just curious is all. I see so many videos of these bigger wasp or flying buggies stealing from the bees and attacking and killing to many of them. I've heard that they can kill a whole hive. Don't know if that is true....☺
These European Hornets are not the ones that park in front of a hive and kill hundreds of bees, so that's not that big of a deal. The smaller yellow jackets can get into spaces that bees can't, so a physical barrier won't reduce their ability to enter. Colonies have to be strong to keep them out.
HI Kone, the name Bald Faced, or White Faced Hornet is simply a common name and it's not a "true hornet", there is currently only one "True Hornet" in North America. They are all wasps, but only one meets that classification. I know it creates a lot of confusion.
Frederick Dunn thank you i figured it was taxonomy vs common names. I did a little research and it seems it’s the related to yellow jackets that gets many confused in NY. Many around me consider the hornet-like wasps hornets with the “true hornets” instead of the most closely related. I’m going to have to dive into the phylogeny soon. Comparative anatomy was my favorite subject but it mainly stuck to vertebrates so I’m curious about how they have diverged.
They came in our house at night and went in our paper lanterns and flew around with the ceiling fan blades we loved them. The only time there was an issue one got in the shower and landed on husband's leg he freaked out and slapped it so it protected itself by bitting back.
I think so too Shaggy, sorry you're bothered by them, maybe with time and some observation you'll find their behaviors predictable and that will relieve some angst you experience.
Had one on the front porch ,squashed it. Next day had anothor one ,squash it . Have bee hives dont want them around . Did see them at night killed them in the mourning.
Do you have any videos of European Hornets entering into conflict with Bald Faced Hornets? Do European Hornets raid other nests as do Japanese Hornets?
I just have one video where a European hornet decapitated a bald-faced hornet, nothing dramatic, just did it quickly and efficiently. They don't seem to "raid nests" in large numbers, I have observed them independently killing bees and flying off, but not the way the Asian Giant Hornets have behaved.
ive seen huge yellow jackets in ny n tn .......they were very docile ......so idk if they were these or not.........they were about 3 inches long........yea i guess thats them
Hi Frederick, responding,,, the size of these hornets on average were clearly 1.5 inches long with a diameter of 3/8 of inch. They're not very fast in flight. They were focused on two major factors. The first factor was the black walnut tree, the second factor was was my wife and I. Knowing the nest wasn't there, it was more in a Southwest direction like I mentioned earlier, I felt We were upsetting them due to the continuous close passes they made towards us. Maybe these hornets were being tutorial due seasons end on whatever was in that good old black walnut tree. So to answer your question Frederick, I can't. The size and the sound they gave off was extremely intimidating So we didn't stick around.
HI Frederic, I was getting to Tee off on the first hole and noticed around 15 or so European hornets flying in around a black walnut tree. It appeared to me that they were collecting something from the walnuts then flew in a SW direction. More European hornets flew in and around the same tree coming from the SW. The golf course is located in Conesus NY.
Went away from home for a few days and forgot my window open and had one of these massive things just starting to build a nest in my living room right when i got home..
It's the cicada killer wasp and yes, it's huge, in fact, larger than this hornet. This is the largest "hornet" which is also in the wasp family. It's confusing sometimes, there are indeed larger wasps :)
@@FrederickDunn I would think it's highly possible. There are wooded areas here that closely mimic the forests in which the AGH live. Do you know if there's a ban on live imports for anything but scientific research? I know that wouldn't stop an accidental transport, but it would help.
Well European Hornets are the second largest hornets in the world. Only a few millimetres short of an Asian giant hornet. The females are the same millimetres size as Asian giant hornet males. It's only Female Asian giant hornets that are bigger. By a few millimetres or so. Very similar size.
Frederick Dunn no prob. Yeah as I understand it. Although people have measured European females 40 mm. The size comparison is Male workers European hornets size 25mm. Male workers Japanese giant hornets size 35 mm Female European hornet size 35mm Female Japanese giant hornets size 45 mm. 10 mm gap between the males and the females which doesn't look like a lot when they're together... Apparently European female was found about 2 inches in Britain... Actually found a RU-vid video close-up on a European Hornet nest... it gets really interesting 4 minutes into the video. European Hornet actually stand on guard outside the nest. Very protective like soldiers. Watching for Predators the even watching the birds lol. Not many things are getting inside lol... I'll link you the video below if you want to look yourself.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UgJT0g7KeEI.html
OH ya! I've noticed this guy's videos recently and the quality is very impressive! Thank you for sharing that link, I will watch it later this morning. Very VERY good video sequences of wasps and hornets. Are you friends with that RU-vid owner?
I sit on my front porch at night and was shocked to see these things flying around my lights. I turn on a light further away now. I’ve killed about 6 so far and have given up. Saw 5 flying around that further light tonight. There must be a nest in the woods next to my house cause I’ve never seen these things before....nor have I ever seen hornets fly at night!
They are very effective night hunters and are coming to the light to catch the bugs that are attracted also. If you observe them for a while, you'll notice that they are collecting bugs and flying off with them. Pretty good insect control actually. I don't think I'd worry about a nest being nearby, they may travel a pretty long distance to search for food, even at night.
These are also known as German Hornets, They are indeed very,very tame compared to the pseudo Hornet (Bald Faced) there's a video of one at a picnic and someone puts their hand out, It slowly backs away and then flies off. Could these be our hope against the invasive Japanese Hornets?
Frederick Dunn thanks for confirming that - I got the impression of the former but then thought that some species are able metamorphosis into males etc (certain coral fishes for example) so I just wanted to check.
Did you say these were the only hornets in North America..? What about the bald faced hornet ( white faced) ? I don't know that's why I'm asking.....are they also part of the yellow jacket family? Bald faced hornets have shorter temper than yellow jackets!! I know....I was young once too!!
@@FrederickDunn i tried, never found it. Maybe very rare species, haven't recorded in a book. The color of the hornet was white with green stripe, it makes me feel goosebumps
Your videographer skills are fantastic! I've never seen a European hornet queen, and that face looks exactly like the texture and color of an orange. (between her eyes) An amazing creature. She looked like a drunken helicopter that was underpowered, while she tried to lift off. :D I love watching the cicada killers around here, even though I feel sorry for the cicada when I see one that got caught. Nature is fascinating.
Thank you very much! I try to find interesting ways to present my subjects :) Insects of all kinds are endless sources of fascination. I'm glad you appreciated it! Nice of you to take the time to comment.
the ones i've seen here in NE USA do fly with a distinct high pitched wing "whine". it is quite noticeable.... they tend to hover when looking for food or other insects. i see them often cruising near flower beds in bloom. the smaller hornets and wasps have a much more constant motion but these almost perch in mid-air.
Its not the largest, I can tell you that. When I lived in Virginia, we had some kind of ground hornet that was about 3 inches in length that burrowed into the ground. I saw one flying by with a acorn sized june bug it was carrying. I caught one and was unable to have it identified. I don't know what it was, but it was double the size you are talking about on here.
wasp, hornet....to me it stings...looks like a hornet. All I know is that thing was bigger than anything with a stinger than I've ever seen or seen since. Whatever it was.
I wish I could have found out more about it at the time. It looked like those giant hornets that I watched in a video that kill off bees in Japan, almost the same color from memory...back in the 80's when I saw them. I guess I'll have to google what is around or was in southeastern VA during that time. They were quite impressive/intimidating to see flying around. Glad I never got on their bad side!
Thank you for that, you may be correct. I just went by its physical length and the general statement I read about the male hornets not generally being found outside of the nest. Thank you for your expertise here :) I definitely need some entomology friends! What's your background?
Hi Chester, they do capture honey bees and take their parts back to their nests, but not at all like the Asian Giant Hornets... the AGH will launch a landing board assault, killing off every guard bee that goes out to meet it, until the defenses are defeated and they can get inside the hive to rob out the brood. In that way, the AGH is far more devastating and may they never reach our apiaries.
I think your being rather optimistic . Ive seen a Asian hornet in Mpls, Minn. it was close to 2.5 maybe 3 inches long ....It was as big around as my little finger....They come over on the shipping containers from China or Japan..cant say I have proof as in a picture it flew away after about 15 seconds ....BUT I WAS AT WORK, AND PHONES ARE NOT ALLOWED THERE.. SO NO PICS
This is a nice video and full of information. However, there is one thing that must be pointed out--this particular European hornet specimen is actually a MALE so it is incapable of stinging. The long curved antennae give this away in addition to blunt end of the abdomen (especially obvious when viewed from underneath) which has one visible segment more than the females (both queens and workers). Inside the end of the abdomen are "claspers" used for mating, while the females have the sting apparatus inside their more pointed abdominal tips. The dead baldfaced hornet is also a male. The paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus) is a male while the bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) is a worker.
OOoohhh! Thank you for that detailed comment and information. I'm going to have to take "Queen" out of the title. He's so large that I was going by the size references that I looked up alone. RU-vid is great for getting input from people like you Bob, thanks so much! Another reason I was puzzled, is that the reading I did stated that the male doesn't venture off the nest much, is that true?
Thanks for pointing this out. I suspected that it was a male myself, but I had to wade through many pages of comments before I got to yours, which is one of only two I could find that point out that it's a male. I wish the video description had been updated to include this information (or even the title, or a pinned comment).
@@FrederickDunn You're welcome, Frederick. Sorry for the belated reply. The males of this species are very large, but the queens are even larger! The males of social wasps, including hornets, are fully capable of feeding themselves by visiting sources of nectar and tree sap. When fully mature they leave their nests and can be seen in the field at such food sources, and occasionally mating with new queens. By the way, the paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus) seen starting at 2:02 is also a male, made obvious by its long curved antennae (and other characters somewhat less obvious in the video).
These things fly so clumsy too. I had one fly into my forehead while i was walking. Not gonna lie, i screamed and ran like a little girl. I had no idea these were even a thing at the time, and all i saw was the spawn of satan
