HORNET

HORNET

Hornets have stings used to kill prey and defend hives. Hornets build communal nests by chewing wood to make a papery pulp. Each nest has one queen, who lays eggs and is attended by workers who, while genetically female, cannot lay fertile eggs. Most species make exposed nests in trees and shrubs, but some build their nests underground or in other cavities.

The queen starts producing the first reproductive individuals. Fertilized eggs develop into females (called "gynes" by entomologists), and unfertilized ones develop into males (sometimes called "drones").

ATTACKING

The attack pheromone is released in case of threat to the nest. If a hornet is killed near a nest it may release pheromones that can cause the other hornets to attack. Materials that come in contact with this pheromone, such as clothes, skin, and dead prey or hornets, can also trigger an attack.

DIET

Adult hornets feed themselves with nectar and sugar-rich plant foods. Hornets frequently fly into orchards to feed on overripe fruit. A person who accidentally plucks a fruit with a feeding hornet can be attacked by the disturbed insect.

Hornets are able to kill large insects such as honey bees, grasshoppers, locusts and katydids  without difficulty. The victim is fully masticated and then fed to the larvae  developing in the nest, rather than consumed by the adult hornets. The larvae of hornets produce a sweet secretion containing sugars and amino acids, which is consumed by the workers and queens.