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Which Hornets Enclose Their Nests?

Hornets are highly social members of the insect order Hymenoptera along with wasps, bees and some other stinging insects. They have a diverse array of nesting habits, and numerous species of hornets build enclosed nests. Nests provide protection to larvae while adults hunt for food to bring back to the nest. Hornets are highly protective of their nest and emit a pheremone when the nest is disturbed. This pheremone signals to other hornets that they should defend the nest and is the reason many people are attacked by swarms of hornets. All hornets live in a hierarchical caste system composed of a fertile queen, infertile worker females, male drones who have no stinger and new queens -- fertile females who will leave the nest and start their own colony as adults.

European Hornet
- European hornets are less aggressive than many other hornet species and live throughout North America. They have orange wings and feet with reddish brown thoraxes with yellow and brown bands of color. Unlike some other species of hornets, these hornets have small hairs on their abdomen. They are relatively small, measuring only 1 to 2 inches in length, and frequently feed on birch trees. European hornet colonies abandon their nests at the end of each summer.
Yellow Jackets
- Yellow jackets look strikingly similar to bees from a distance, but can be differentiated by their lack of hair on the legs and abdomen. They are typically bright yellow and black or brown, though some species may have orange bands and orange legs. These hornets are highly aggressive and build their nests from wood fiber. Nests are most frequently located in shrubs, trees and other semi-enclosed locations.
Bald-Faced Hornet
- Like yellow jackets, bald-faced hornets construct their nests from wood fiber by chewing it and turning it into pulp. These hornets can be easily identified by the white markings on their faces. The body is almost completely black, with some white markings on the underside of the abdomen and near the stinger. They build hanging nests in trees and prey on insects, which they feed to their larvae. These hornets live only in North America and are evenly distributed throughout the United States. They are not aggressive unless their nest is attacked.
Other Hornets
- Several other species of hornets that do not live in the U.S. build enclosed nests. Japanese giant hornets prey on honeybees and deliver intensely venomous stings. Stings almost always require hospitalization. The Japanese yellow hornet is brown with yellow bands and is commonly preyed upon by the larger Japanese giant hornet. The oriental hornet is a bright red or orange color with yellow bands near its stinger. In 2010, a group of researchers led by Dr Marian Plotkin discovered that these hornets' yellow bands have a structure that captures sun light and converts it into energy.

Insects & Science