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Any idea what this is?


Boristhedog
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Fairly sure it's a European hornet (the usual UK type).  The Asian hornet has yellow lower legs and a larger amount of 'dark' sections on the body.

See here (please excuse the source of RSPB!)

https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/asian-hornets-in-europe

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife/how-identify/have-you-found-hornet

Edited by JohnfromUK
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1 minute ago, JohnfromUK said:

Fairly sure it's a European hornet (the usual UK type).  The Asian hornet has yellow lower legs and a larger amount of 'dark' sections on the body.

See here (please excuse the source of RSPB!)

https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/asian-hornets-in-europe

Was just about to put. Great minds think alike.

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This is a European Hornet, Vespa crabro. Lots of brown colouration and the size is right too. Crucially, it's not wearing yellow socks, a critical ID feature in splitting it from the Asian Hornet.

There's some confusion out there as to which one is the invasive species here in the UK.

The Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina is slightly smaller than our native Hornet. This is the invasive species here that needs reporting and exterminating, as it's a serious threat to the European honeybee.

The Japanese or Asian Giant Hornet, Vespa mandarinia, has never been seen in the UK and so is not an ecological concern here. It is, however, invasive in the US, so search engines will pick up both and muddy the waters. 

So. Three species:
One's MASSIVE and not here (V.mandarinia).

One's VERY BIG and meant to be here (V.crabro). 

One's BIG and not meant to be here (V.velutina).

 

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