European hornet
Vespa crabro
- Identification
- Large brown-and-yellow hornet, up to 1.5 inches — the only true hornet in the region. Active even at night.
- Lifecycle & behavior
- Annual colony nesting in hollow trees, wall voids, and barns; grows through summer, dies at frost.
- When it's active in Central NY
- Present across CNY; noticed for its size and nighttime activity around lights in late summer. May strip bark from shrubs.
- Risk & damage
- A powerful sting and the ability to sting at night make them a hazard; wall-void nests can be large.
- Why DIY falls short
- Their size, nighttime activity, and hidden nests make DIY removal dangerous.
- How we treat it
- Locating and treating the nest (often in a void or tree) with protective equipment and appropriate timing.
European hornet or something else?
European hornets are large — up to about an inch and a half — brown and yellow rather than black and yellow, and they are the only true hornet established in this region. Their size startles people, and they are unusual among local stinging insects in flying at night and being attracted to lights, which is often how they are first noticed.
They are not the giant hornets that periodically make headlines, none of which are established in New York. A large brown-and-yellow hornet bumping a lit window in Central New York is a European hornet.
European hornets in Central New York
They nest in hollow trees, wall voids, attics, and outbuildings, and they will strip bark from lilac, birch, and ornamental shrubs to build with, which sometimes shows up as unexplained damage to landscaping.
Because they are nocturnal and large, encounters often happen at night around porch lights and windows. Nests in wall voids or attics should be handled professionally — the colony is large, the insects are capable of repeated stings, and disturbing a wall-void nest carries the same risk as with yellowjackets.
Dealing with european hornet?
Our stinging insects handles it — guaranteed, family-owned, and local.
European hornet — common questions
A huge hornet keeps hitting my window at night. What is it?
Most likely a European hornet — the only true hornet established here, brown and yellow, up to about an inch and a half, and unusual in being active at night and drawn to lights. They are not the giant hornets from the news, which are not established in New York.