Genus Vespa - Hornets

Classification · Numbers · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

Vespa crabro - European Hornet - Vespa crabro - female

Vespa crabro (European, Giant Hornet) Queen - Vespa crabro - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)

No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)

Superfamily Vespoidea (Yellowjackets and Hornets, Paper Wasps; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps and allies)

Family Vespidae (Yellowjackets and Hornets, Paper Wasps; Potter, Mason and Pollen Wasps)

Subfamily Vespinae (Hornets and Yellowjackets)

Genus Vespa (Hornets)

Numbers

A single established and exotic species in our area, Vespa crabro, native to Europe and Asia.(1)

Vespa mandarinia, native to Asia and the Russian Far East, was infrequently sighted yearly from 2019 to 2021 in isolated parts of Washington and British Columbia. By 2022, there were no sightings.

Remarks

Adventive colonies of species that failed to become established have been reported for 3 additional species:

V. simillima (British Columbia, published 1997)(2)

V. affinis (California, 2010)(3)

V. soror (British Columbia, 2019)(4)

Internet References

Invasive Hornets Project. Images of all known Vespa species

Works Cited

1.	Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico Karl V. Krombein, Paul D. Hurd, Jr., David R. Smith, and B. D. Burks. 1979. Smithsonian Institution Press.

2.	Checklist of the species of the subfamily Vespinae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Carpenter, James M., and Jun-ichi Kojima. 1997. Nat. Hist. Bulletin of Ibaraki Univ. 1:51-92.

3.	The Vespinae of North America (Vespidae, Hymenoptera) L.S. Kimsey and J.M. Carpenter. 2012. Journal of Hymenoptera Research Vol. 28: 37–65.

4.	First record of Vespa crabro Linnaeus in western North America with a review of recorded species of Vespa Linnaeus in Canada Amber Bass, Karen Needham, & Andrew M R Bennett. 2022. Zootaxa, 5154(3): 305-318.

Contributed by Cotinis on 20 September, 2004 - 11:18pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Tony-2, Ben Coulter, v belov, PaleoJon, bdagley
Last updated 13 February, 2023 - 1:24am

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