Head to head
European Hornet vs Asian Giant Hornet
European Hornet
VS Asian Giant Hornet
The European hornet and Asian giant hornet are two large Vespa hornets, one a familiar and relatively gentle European species and the other the largest hornet in the world.
| European Hornet | Asian Giant Hornet | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Vespa crabro | Vespa mandarinia |
| Size | The largest social wasp in Europe, with queens up to around 3.5 cm long | Workers about 3.5 cm and queens up to 5 cm, with a wingspan of 7.5 cm, the largest hornet in the world |
| Diet | Adults drink tree sap and ripe fruit, while workers hunt other insects, including wasps, flies, and bees | Adults feed larvae chewed insects, especially honeybees and other hornets, and drink sap, nectar, and larval secretions |
| Behaviour | Flies at dusk and after dark, and is often drawn to lights | A few scouts mark a honeybee colony, and then 10 to 30 hornets decapitate the workers and haul the brood home |
| Sting | Painful if it is provoked or the nest is disturbed, but generally placid away from its nest | About 6 mm long, delivering a large venom dose that is painful and locally tissue-destroying, and it can sting repeatedly |
| Human impact | Protected in some European countries, where old trees have been lost | Around 30 to 50 deaths a year in Japan, mostly from anaphylaxis or organ failure after multiple stings |
| Range | Woodland, hedgerows, and parks across Europe and western Asia, with an introduced population in the eastern United States | Temperate and subtropical East and Southeast Asia, and detected in British Columbia and Washington State |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally | Not Evaluated globally |
European Hornet vs Asian Giant Hornet: common questions
Which hornet is the largest in the world?
The Asian giant hornet, whose queens reach up to 5 cm and have a wingspan of 7.5 cm.
Which hornet attacks beehives?
The Asian giant hornet, whose groups of 10 to 30 hornets decapitate honeybee workers and haul the brood home.
Is the European hornet dangerous?
It is generally placid away from its nest, though its sting is painful if it is provoked or the nest is disturbed.