Hello.
A friend directed me to your site. I have, what of course I think, are some interesting photos of a hornet’s nest being built over a birdhouse. Apparently, cold Minnesota winters warrant building nests with extra insulation! I am attaching one, but if you are interested in more, let me know. In this view you can see the hornet’s have are working on the nest and have built not only on the outside, but the inside as well. Enjoy.
D Rossbach
Hi D.,
Your photo is pretty great. The builders are Yellow Jackets. Mom in Ohio frequently gets paper wasp nests in her birdhouses. We have also gotten images of Red-Tailed Bumblebees building in birdhouses. Perhaps someone should market the wasp and bee house.
¶ Posted 23 July 2006 § ‡ ° Wow!
I found this huge wasp-like thing on my screened in porch (the screen is torn). I took live photos with a crayon for reference, but could not get it very close. It died by the next day. What on Earth is this and why is it so big? I have never seen one this big! Thanks for your help!
Leigh-Ann Burke
Hardyston, NJ
Hi Leigh-Ann,
The Giant Hornet, Vespa crabro germana, lives up to its name. I has to be big to be called the Giant Hornet. If you think this is big, you should see a Tarantula Hawk.
It’s eating my fence
Hello, Bugman:
I happened upon your site today for the first time. It1s wonderful!! I looked for this bug in your wasp section and I think that it1s a Bald Faced Hornet. But, why is it eating my fence?
Thank you.
Mary Ann Sumner
Miller Beach, Indiana
Hi Mary Ann,
Bald Faced Hornets are Paper Wasps. They chew wood pulp to make the paper for their nest. She is using the wood fiber in your fence to create wood pulp and then paper.
¶ Posted 05 June 2006 § ‡ ° Do you know what kind of wasp or hornet this is? I live in Maryland and the photo with the ruler isn’t too accurate. I made a better measurement and it was 1.75 inches and the second one I got was just about 2 inches long. I have never seen these where I live up until this spring. I have seen a total of 3 of them but cannot find a nest or anything directing me to where they may be coming from. Please help. Are they aggressive? Thank you.
Arron Deans
Hi Arron,
The Giant Hornet, Vespa crabro germana, was introduced to America from Europe in the 19th Century. The paper nest is usually hidden in a hollow tree or in a building. They are not aggressive, but will defend their nest. According to the Audubon Guide: “It defends its nest from intruders, but otherwise avoids confrontations when possible.”
¶ Posted 07 May 2006 § ‡ ° late summer bugs: baldfaced hornet and ?wasp?
Hi Bugman!
I am avoiding work by sorting late summer photos. I found a photo of a Bald Faced Hornet, sipping from a nectar river. Do you want a photo of it in one of its favorite “soups”? Also, a wasp that I can’t ID. I checked your wasp pages and bugguide – it seems to most closely resemble Blk& Yellow mud dauber or Ammophila, but the coloring is wrong. Its not a focused photo (sorry), but the abdomen was definitely striped. Both photos were taken mid-August 2005 near Chicago. Your site has been like a daily vitamin to me these past few months – the new photo additions remind me of summer!
Jill Anderson, Chicago
Hi Jill,
Thank you for the sweet compliment. We know exactly what it is like to avoid work, one of the reasons we started this website. Your Baldfaced Hornet photo is wonderful and we will see if Eric Eaton recognizes your Mystery Wasp. Minutes later, Eric Eaton responded: ” The mystery wasp is one of the Grass-Carrier Wasps in the genus Isodontia, closely related to mud daubers. This one is Isodontia elegans. Until rather recently, this species was thought to occur only west of the 100th meridian. I sent specimens I collected in Cincinnati to an expert, and he confirmed the ID. Isodontia are easily identified because they are the only common thread-waisted wasps that rest with their wings flared out to the sides like this. Most other, related wasps hold the wings flat over their back when at rest. There are at least four other species in the genus that are widespread in the eastern U.S. Eric “
Giant Hornet in Turkey
Two thumbs up for a fascinating and informative website. We just got back from our vacation in Turkey. We have been there a total of 8 times but never seen this wasp/hornet on previous occasions. They were very numerous. We would see them each day at our hotel poolside, but nowhere else. Some would come to the overflow grating at the side of the pool and drink the water (see photo). Others would briefly bounce off the water in flight or even stay on the surface for a few seconds before flying off also apparently taking a drink. I guess that their wingspan would be getting on for 2”. I would be most interested to hear what species this is.
After some more surfing I now assume that the beast in question is a ‘Giant Hornet with local colour variation’ as it is differently marked than the one shown 5 from the top. Interestingly on the map which shows where hornets are to be found, the part of Turkey where I saw it is NOT included (”bottom left hand corner”). I guess they are spreading. Many thanks again for a brilliantly entertaining and informative website.
All the best
Chris Pinn
Germany
Hi Chris,
Sorry for the delay, but we are very busy lately and don’t have time to answer even a small portion of our email. We agree this is a hornet, but are not sure of the species. Lovely photo though.
Update (05/02/2006)
The Insect in the photo 10/26/2005 Turkish Hornet ( Chris Pinn Germany) is an Oriental Hornet ( Vespa Orientalis) whose range covers the eastern Mediterranean, the Arabian peninsula, Ethiopia and Somalia. All the Best
M. Leather
England
¶ Posted 26 October 2005 § ‡ ° Wasps?
Hello! You have a great site. I have used it many times this summer. I was wondering if you can tell me what these bugs are. Are they a type of wasp? They have been stripping the bark off my lilac bush – I’m assuming they plan to lay their eggs there. Any id help would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Rene’ in MD
Hi Rene’,
These are Giant Hornets, Vespa crabro germana. They are found in the east. It is an introduced species. These are social hornets that build a nest in a hollow tree, under porch floor or in and outbuilding. The females in your photo are gathering bark to chew into paper pulp for the nest.
¶ Posted 25 September 2005 § ‡ ° Identity?
Is this aggressive insect a bee or a hornet? It is black and white and is new to my yard this year.
The Bald Faced Hornet, Vespula maculata, is an extremely aggressive social insect. They are extremely protective of the nest which is made of chewed wood pulp, hence paper, and will sting repeatedly.
Chastised by Eric Eaton regarding bald-faced hornet.
Daniel:
Would you please reconsider your definition of bald-faced hornets as “very aggressive?” I have come right up to a nest before, and was completely ignored by the occupants coming and going and working on the exterior envelope of the nest. Sure, jiggle the nest and you’d have a major problem on your hands (and face, and the rest of your body:-), but they are quite serene normally, and are NOT the scavengers that other kinds of yellowjackets are. In fact, they prey almost exclusively on flies, so are good to have around. One more anecdote. We once had a small nest in a camelia bush right next to the front door of the house. Never knew it was there until late fall when we pruned the tree! By then the nest was abandoned.
Have a great weekend. Eric
¶ Posted 09 August 2005 § ‡ ° 
rss
I like This
