---
title: "What the sources say about the European Hornet | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "46 claims from the European Hornet profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the European Hornet (*Vespa crabro*)

> 46 claims from the European Hornet profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [European Hornet](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/european-hornet/)

## Kovac & Stabentheiner (2012). Does size matter? Biology Open.

https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.20121156

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Central Europe's biggest vespine wasp | The hornet ( Vespa crabro ) is the largest species of vespine wasps in Central Europe. (note: tagline; vespine = Vespinae, defined in the body) |
| warmed by its own flight muscles | The vespine wasps are capable of endothermic heat production by means of their thoracic muscles (note: tagline) |
| arriving home with a thorax averaging 30 to 40 °C | they exhibited similarities in the dependence of thorax temperature on T a on their arrival (mean T th  =  30–40°C) and departure (mean T th  =  33–40°C) at the nest entrance (note: stats.superpower; arrival mean, reported for hornets and Vespula together) |
| is the largest of Central Europe's vespine wasps, the group that holds hornets and yellowjackets | The hornet ( Vespa crabro ) is the largest species of vespine wasps in Central Europe. |
| hornets leaving the nest averaged 477.5 milligrams | the hornets had a mean weight of 477.5±59.9 mg ( n  = 50 ) (note: weight; methods: 'from each colony insects leaving the nest were captured and weighed') |
| more than five times the weight of the common wasps | The investigated hornets had more than fivefold the body mass (M b ) of the wasps. |
| the common wasps living in the same area | we compared the body temperature of hornets ( Vespa crabro ) with that of smaller native vespine wasps ( Vespula vulgaris, Vespula germanica ) living in the same habitat |
| Hornets make their own body heat, a skill called endothermy, by working the thoracic muscles | The vespine wasps are capable of endothermic heat production by means of their thoracic muscles |
| running roughly 5 to 18 °C above the surrounding air | The thorax temperature excess (T(th)-T(a)) above ambient air of about 5-18°C indicates a high endothermic capacity in both hornets and wasps. (note: abstract; mean arrival Tth 30-40 as above) |
| The hornets in that study arrived back at the nest with a thorax averaging 30 to 40 °C | on their arrival (mean T th  =  30–40°C) (note: paper reports this for hornets and Vespula together; 'in that study' scopes it) |
| Makes its own body heat | The vespine wasps are capable of endothermic heat production by means of their thoracic muscles (note: stats.superpower) |
| weightKg: 0.000478 | the hornets had a mean weight of 477.5±59.9 mg (note: battleStats.weightKg, task #1254; workers) |

## Frantsevich & Gorb (2004). Structure and mechanics of the tarsal chain in the hornet, Vespa crabro (Hymenoptera: Vespidae): implications on the attachment mechanism. Arthropod Structure & Development.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2003.10.003

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a hornet in a lab test withstood a pull almost 25 times its own weight | In such a position, the insect could withstand an external force which was almost 25 times larger than its own weight. |
| Clamping the bumps of a rough surface between the claws of opposite legs | Maximal hold to the substrate was achieved when surface irregularities were clamped between the claws of opposite legs. |

## Foster, Ratnieks & Raybould (2000). Do hornets have zombie workers? Molecular Ecology.

https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00920.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In a study of 15 hornet nests, the males were the queen's sons and the workers never tried to lay eggs | male production was studied in 15 hornet nests using a combination of DNA microsatellite analysis (282 males), worker ovary dissections (500 workers from eight nests) and 50 h of observation (four nests). In contrast to our prediction, the data show that hornet males are queens' sons, that workers never attempt to lay eggs |

## Krishnakumari & Nagaraj (1997). Antimicrobial and hemolytic activities of crabrolin, a 13-residue peptide from the venom of the European hornet, Vespa crabro, and its analogs. The Journal of Peptide Research.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-3011.1997.tb01173.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The venom holds crabrolin, a short chain of 13 amino acids that, in lab tests, can act against bacteria and also damage red blood cells | we describe antibacterial and hemolytic activities of crabrolin: FLPLILRKIVTAL-NH2, a 13-residue-peptide present in the venom of the hornet Vespa crabro (note: hemolytic = red blood cell lysis; the abstract says 'hemolytic activities') |

## European Hornet. Penn State Extension.

https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/european-hornet

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| native to Europe and Asia | European hornets (Figure 1) are native to Europe and Asia |
| introduced to eastern North America | They were introduced from central Europe into North America and first detected in the 1840s. European hornets have since become widespread and well established in the eastern United States |
| Insects such as grasshoppers, flies and yellowjackets | European hornets are predatory for most of the year and hunt other insects, including grasshoppers, various flies, and yellowjackets |
| Workers reach up to 25 millimetres, an inch, and queens up to 35. | European hornet workers can be up to an inch (25 mm) long while queens are slightly larger and can reach 1.3 inches (35 mm). |
| They take grasshoppers, flies and even yellowjackets | hunt other insects, including grasshoppers, various flies, and yellowjackets |
| they sometimes attack honey bees, apparently more often in Europe than in North America | They sometimes attack honey bees, although this behavior appears to be more common in Europe than in North America. |
| They add sugar to the diet too, especially in autumn, stripping bark off bushes such as lilac to feed on the sap | European hornets incorporate sugar and carbohydrates into their diet, particularly in the fall. ... strip the bark off of certain bushes (particularly lilac) to feed on plant sap |
| the only nocturnal wasp in Pennsylvania, and it is sometimes drawn to porch lights at night | European hornets are also the only nocturnal wasp in Pennsylvania and are sometimes attracted to porch lights at night. |
| The sting is about as painful as a honey bee's | the sting from a European hornet is only about as painful as a honey bee sting |
| The stinger is smooth, and a hornet can sting more than once | Unlike honey bees, European hornets have smooth stingers and can sting multiple times. |
| At the mid-September peak most nests hold 200 to 400 workers, and large ones up to 1,000 | Nest size peaks in mid-September, when most nests contain 200–400 workers, although large nests may have up to 1,000 workers. |
| The workers die in autumn, and only mated queens survive the winter | This means the nest and workers die out in the fall and the only individuals that survive are fertilized queens |
| It was first detected in North America in the 1840s, and Penn State's 2024 factsheet calls it widespread in the eastern United States | first detected in the 1840s. European hornets have since become widespread and well established in the eastern United States (note: PSU page 'Updated: July 19, 2024') |
| Penn State gives workers as up to 25 millimetres (an inch) long and queens as slightly larger, up to 35 millimetres. | European hornet workers can be up to an inch (25 mm) long while queens are slightly larger and can reach 1.3 inches (35 mm). (note: FAQ 1) |
| Penn State's factsheet calls it the one wasp in Pennsylvania that is active at night, and says it sometimes turns up at porch lights after dark | European hornets are also the only nocturnal wasp in Pennsylvania and are sometimes attracted to porch lights at night. (note: FAQ 2) |
| brought from central Europe to North America and first detected in the 1840s, and its 2024 factsheet calls them well established across the eastern United States | They were introduced from central Europe into North America and first detected in the 1840s. European hornets have since become widespread and well established in the eastern United States (note: FAQ 3) |
| For most of the year hornets are hunters | European hornets are predatory for most of the year |
| introduced to eastern North America | They were introduced from central Europe into North America and first detected in the 1840s. European hornets have since become widespread and well established in the eastern United States (note: stats.habitat) |
| native to Europe and Asia | European hornets (Figure 1) are native to Europe and Asia (note: stats.habitat and body) |
| Penn State's 2024 factsheet | Updated: July 19, 2024 (note: date of the page behind the 'widespread' current-state claims (body and FAQ 3)) |
| the only nocturnal wasp in Pennsylvania, sometimes drawn to porch lights at night | European hornets are also the only nocturnal wasp in Pennsylvania and are sometimes attracted to porch lights at night. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body sentence "the only nocturnal wasp in Pennsylvania, and it is sometimes drawn to porch ligh") |
| dangerLevel: Medium | Despite their large size, the sting from a European hornet is only about as painful as a honey bee sting. (note: stats.dangerLevel, task #1254) |
| dangerLevel: Medium | European hornet stings should resolve on their own in one to a few hours without complications (note: stats.dangerLevel, task #1254) |
| tags: nocturnal | European hornets are also the only nocturnal wasp in Pennsylvania and are sometimes attracted to porch lights at night. (note: tags, task #1254; state-scoped wording, but it describes the species) |

## European Hornet. Virginia Cooperative Extension.

http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2911/2911-1422/2911-1422.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| hornets do not seem particularly aggressive unless they are defending the nest | they do not appear to be particularly aggressive or vicious unless defending their nest |

## Hornet (Vespa crabro). Welsh Wildlife Trust.

https://www.welshwildlife.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/hornet

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Mostly woodland, parkland and gardens | the hornet lives mostly in woodland, parkland and gardens (note: stats.habitat; Welsh (UK) habitat description; range from PSU below) |
| plus nectar and sap | they feed themselves on high-energy substances like nectar and sap |
| a queen leaves her winter hiding place and starts a nest, often in a hollow tree, chewing wood into paper | Queen hornets emerge from hibernation in spring and start to build their nests by chewing up wood - these 'paper' nests are often made in hollow trees, or in cavities in buildings. |
| plus nectar and sap | they feed themselves on high-energy substances like nectar and sap |

## Vespa crabro Linnaeus. Integrated Taxonomic Information System.

https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=154273

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Not Evaluated | Vespa crabro Linnaeus (note: stats.conservationStatus. No Red List assessment of Vespa crabro was found by the prefetch (GBIF holds no category for this name, Crossref no assessment DOI), so no IUCN reference is cited; ITIS confirms the accepted name. Precedent antlion.) |