Head to head
European Hornet vs Common Wasp
European Hornet
VS Common Wasp
The European hornet and common wasp are two social wasps that build paper nests and are often confused, though they differ in size, appearance, and habits.
| European Hornet | Common Wasp | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Vespa crabro | Vespula vulgaris |
| Size and colour | The largest social wasp in Europe, with a brown and yellow body and a reddish-brown thorax | A black and yellow banded body with a black, anchor-shaped mark on its yellow face |
| Nest | Chewed wood fibre in a hollow tree or sheltered cavity, with a few hundred workers at its peak | Chewed wood fibre, often underground or in a roof space, housing several thousand workers by late summer |
| Diet | Adults drink tree sap and ripe fruit, while workers hunt other insects, including wasps, flies, and bees | Workers hunt flies, caterpillars, and other insects, while adults drink nectar, honeydew, and the juices of ripe fruit |
| Behaviour | Flies at dusk and after dark, and is generally placid away from its nest | Kills large numbers of garden pests, but in late summer the workers turn to sweet food and drink and annoy people |
| Winter and status | Protected in some European countries, where its numbers have been reduced by the loss of old trees | Only the new queens survive the winter, and it is a serious invasive pest in New Zealand |
| Range | Woodland, hedgerows, and parks across Europe and western Asia, with an introduced population in the eastern United States | Woodland, farmland, parks, and gardens across Europe and temperate Asia, introduced to New Zealand, Australia, and parts of the Americas |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally | Not Evaluated globally |
European Hornet vs Common Wasp: common questions
Which wasp has an anchor on its face?
The common wasp, which has a black, anchor-shaped mark on its yellow face.
Which one flies at night?
The European hornet, which unlike most wasps flies at dusk and after dark, and is often drawn to lights.
Which has the bigger colony?
The common wasp, whose nest can house several thousand workers by late summer, compared with a few hundred for the hornet.