HORNETS EXPLAINED
What makes this massive member of the wasp family such a deadly bee killer?
WORDS
AILSA HARVEY
Did you know?
Hornets eat bees for protein and honey
Hornets are large insects that live in sizable colonies, with hundreds of worker hornets inhabiting a single hive. They look like big wasps – and this is an accurate description of them. They are a subset of wasp, with around 20 of the tens of thousands of wasp species being hornets. Most of these hornet species live in tropical regions of Asia, and all are social insects, building communal paper-like nests. Some species of hornet grow to be twice the size of the largest wasps. This can make them much more intimidating as they fly in your vicinity, but not all hornets are aggressive. And those that are more likely to attack are mostly just a threat to other insects, unless you aggravate them.