Hi - This is a European Hornet, a long-established, non-native insect in our area. Queens of this species emerge from overwintering shelters in the spring to disperse and start new nests for the season. While this is a large wasp in general, queens are even larger than their workers and thus can be quite startling.

The recent news reports on the Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia) have triggered a wave of concerned ID requests. The only confirmed reports of this species were in Washington State and British Columbia, Canada, not in our region. The Maryland Department of Agriculture is monitoring for this pest. It has not been found in Maryland or anywhere in eastern North America.

Here are several pages with more information on both species:

https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/european-hornets

https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/asian-giant-hornet