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393 Featured Specimen
Asian giant hornet

Details

Asian giant hornet

Vespa mandarinia

Size
2.7–5.5 cm · 0.5–2.5 g
Diet
Carnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Colony
Lifespan
less than 1 year

The Asian giant hornet is a large social wasp with powerful jaws. Workers hunt by day and carry insect prey back to the colony.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
PalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticPalearcticIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayanIndomalayan

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It lives in forests and grasslands of the Palearctic, the Indomalayan region. Nests are built in protected cavities such as soil hollows or spaces near tree roots.

Appearance

Length 2.7-5.5 cm; weight 0.5 g-2.5 g. A large orange head, dark-and-yellow abdomen, and heavy mandibles stand out. Its size gives it a strong, audible flight.

Behavior

Diurnal and colonial, it lives in nests headed by a queen and workers. Colonies defend nests strongly and may attack other insects in groups at food sources.

Feeding

A carnivore, workers capture insects to feed larvae. Adults also use tree sap and nutrient fluids produced by larvae.

Reproduction

A queen starts the nest alone in spring, and workers expand it as they emerge. New queens and males are produced in autumn, and mated queens overwinter.

Notes

It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.