HornetsFemale hornets measure 25 to 35 mm long. Males and workers are smaller. In males, the antennae have 13 segments, while females have 12. The male abdomen is composed of 7 visible segments, while that of the female has 6; females are equipped with an ovipositor. Eyes are deeply indented, shaped like a C. Wings are reddish-orange. Larva are nourished by the adults with mixture of captured insects, paralyzed and masticated, which they regurgitate. They usually fly in the daytime, but have been known to fly at night during humid, windless weather. Their nest is constructed from a hardened paste, made up of bark masticated with saliva. When fully completed, it is made up of layered combs, surrounded by several layers of hardened paste shell. The nest measures 30 to 40 cm in diameter and never contains more than a few hundred individuals. Hornets forage up to 1500 m from their nest. As for all wasps, hornet colonies die out in winter. Only fertilized females overwinter, founding new colonies close to their winter shelter.
Queens appear from mid-April, workers are active until mid-October. Hornets make holes in ripe fruits (particularly grapes) to obtain sugar. Hornet stings may sometimes be dangerous to man and domestic animals.
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