New species never before seen - Ask Extension
These have shown up in the last few months around my house. There are a large number of them flying in almost Highway like patterns back and forth in ...
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New species never before seen #852376
Asked October 06, 2023, 12:21 PM EDT
These have shown up in the last few months around my house. There are a large number of them flying in almost Highway like patterns back and forth in the small wooded areas in the neighborhood .
I didn’t know what type of hornet they are. To me they resemble European more than Northern Giant. This specimen appears a bit smaller than what I see flying.
Can you help me identify the type and any actions further?
Thank You
Carroll County Maryland
Expert Response
You are correct that these are European Hornets, not Northern Giant Hornets; both species are non-native, but the former have been in this region for over a century. European Hornets are very commonly encountered this time of year since nests are at their peak population size. Social wasps do not re-use nests from year to year, so in just a few more weeks, all colony members will be dead and nests will be inactive. Only new queens survive, having left the nest to mate and explore alone to find a sheltered spot to overwinter by herself. She will begin her own new nest elsewhere in spring.
Queens are the female wasps capable of reproducing. Workers, which are female wasps that do not lay eggs, feed the colony and lone queen (the "mother" of the entire colony) all summer long, but in late summer and autumn, a colony also produces new queens and males. Queen hornets are usually larger-bodied than workers, and the males might be a little bigger as well. The males die soon after mating but the young queens leave, and all workers and the original queen of the nest die by winter.
You may be witnessing queens and males flying about looking for mates, or workers foraging for food for both themselves (as adults, they subsist on liquid sugary diets like flower nectar and tree sap) or their larvae back in the nest (which they catch other insects for). With many mouths to feed by early autumn, social wasp activity is high. They will not seek out a confrontation with people unless a nest is disturbed or individual wasps swatted, in which case they can be expected to mount a defense and may sting. Nests are build in tree cavities or sometimes wall voids, so if they are coming and going from a particular spot in the woods, there may be a nest nearby. (If they are coming and going from a gap or crack in the house itself, then there might be a nest inside the wall or attic.)
European Hornets also have the unusual trait of flying both day and night, so can be attracted by night lighting and may linger near lit doorways or windows where they can accidentally wind-up inside. Turning outdoor lighting off at night can help avoid close encounters.
No actions are needed if the wasps aren't nesting in the structure of the house. Even if they were and no conflicts have happened yet, you can probably ignore them until winter, when the nest can be safely removed to get the debris and any dead wasps out. If removal was needed before the winter die-off, then work with a pest control professional who has experience removing wasps from buildings.
Miri
Queens are the female wasps capable of reproducing. Workers, which are female wasps that do not lay eggs, feed the colony and lone queen (the "mother" of the entire colony) all summer long, but in late summer and autumn, a colony also produces new queens and males. Queen hornets are usually larger-bodied than workers, and the males might be a little bigger as well. The males die soon after mating but the young queens leave, and all workers and the original queen of the nest die by winter.
You may be witnessing queens and males flying about looking for mates, or workers foraging for food for both themselves (as adults, they subsist on liquid sugary diets like flower nectar and tree sap) or their larvae back in the nest (which they catch other insects for). With many mouths to feed by early autumn, social wasp activity is high. They will not seek out a confrontation with people unless a nest is disturbed or individual wasps swatted, in which case they can be expected to mount a defense and may sting. Nests are build in tree cavities or sometimes wall voids, so if they are coming and going from a particular spot in the woods, there may be a nest nearby. (If they are coming and going from a gap or crack in the house itself, then there might be a nest inside the wall or attic.)
European Hornets also have the unusual trait of flying both day and night, so can be attracted by night lighting and may linger near lit doorways or windows where they can accidentally wind-up inside. Turning outdoor lighting off at night can help avoid close encounters.
No actions are needed if the wasps aren't nesting in the structure of the house. Even if they were and no conflicts have happened yet, you can probably ignore them until winter, when the nest can be safely removed to get the debris and any dead wasps out. If removal was needed before the winter die-off, then work with a pest control professional who has experience removing wasps from buildings.
Miri
