Types of Hornets

Hornets are pesky insects that tend to attack when their paper-constructed hives are disturbed. These creatures live in North America, Africa, Europe and Asia. There are approximately 20 hornet species throughout the world.

  1. Asian Hornet

    • Asian hornets are usually found in the southern section of England. The queen can grow as long as 30 mm; worker hornets are smaller, up to 25 mm. This hornet features either a black velvety or dark-brown body, with a light yellow stripe on the edge. It has one band on the abdomen, a portion of which is yellowish-orange. The Asian hornet's head is black with a yellowish-orange face; its legs are brown legs are yellow on the bottom.

    Giant Hornet

    • A giant hornet has a segmented abdomen. The female hornet's abdomen has six segments, whereas the male hornet has seven. These hornets have deep-set eyes. The hornet's body, including the head, legs, wings and thorax, are reddish-brown. The queen hornet measures up to 35 mm; the workers range from 18 to 25 mm. The giant hornet is also known as the European hornet.

    Lesser Banded Hornet

    • Lesser banded hornets can be found in Southeast Asia. The lesser banded queen measure up to 30 mm; the male hornets reach up to 26 mm, and the workers average 22 to 25 mm. These hornets have black bodies with two yellow segments on the abdomen.

    Yellow Hornet

    • Yellow hornets live in Russia, Japan and Korea. These hornets build hives near and around buildings or high in trees. The yellow hornet features beady eyes, yellowish marks on the abdomen and a yellow-and-black body. The yellow hornet can grow to be 17 to 23 mm long.