You can let it go. This is a European Hornet, a non-native wasp that established in our region over a century ago. 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 look startling.

News reports about the Northern Giant Hornet (formerly called Asian Giant Hornet, Vespa mandarinia) have caused some concerned wasp ID requests the past few years, particularly given its sensationalized nickname of “murder hornet.” The only confirmed sightings of that species were in Washington State and British Columbia, Canada, not in our region. The Maryland Department of Agriculture is monitoring for them. Northern Giant Hornet has not been found in Maryland or anywhere else in eastern North America, nor is it expected to arrive here on its own.

Miri