Japanese yellow hornet

Asian giant hornets sometimes raid yellow hornet nests, killing workers and carrying the larvae and pupae back to their own nest as food.1

Black hornet queens sometimes attack yellow hornet nests, take them over and use the original workers to raise their own young.1

Colonies are started by one queen, who does every task at first, including laying eggs, hunting and building the nest.1

Nests can be moved to a new site in the middle of the nesting period, which is unusual for Vespa hornets.1

Adult workers live for an average of 12.9 days, and their death rate rises once they start foraging outside the nest.1