The European Hornet (Vespa Crabro) can be found throughout Hertfordshire and the rest of the UK. It is a large wasp, with the queen as big as 25 to 50 mm (1-2 inches).

The good news is that Hornets are not interested in human food, they prefer to feed on the sap that seeps from damaged trees, particularly oak and ash trees. They also feed on the juices of ripe fruit such as apples and pears as well as nectar.

The hornets nests can be found in a variety of places such as in tree trunks, bushes, sheds, barns, lofts and wall cavities. A hornet nest is usually bigger in size than a wasp nest but the number contained within the nest is much smaller than a wasp nest.

Although hornets are larger in size than a wasp, they are not more aggressive. They don’t usually attack unless provoked or threatened, but if they are threatened they can become extremely aggressive causing the whole nest to come out and sting to defend the nest.

Once the days grown warmer (around April) the new queens emerge from hibernation, they survive the harsh winter in rotten wood or soil as their metabolism slows down to a minimum and they produce Glycerol which acts as a type of antifreeze. Once they have emerged they will investigate the surrounding area and find a suitable position to build a nest.