How to Identify a Asian Hornet

Asian Hornets (Vespa velutina) are slightly smaller then the European Hornet. The Asian Hornet Queens are typically 30mm in length and the males are 24mm, and worker Hornets are 20mm in length. Asian Hornets have yellow legs, the thorax is velvety brown or black with a brown abdomen. The abdomen is segmentated and has a narrow yellow posterior border with the fourth segment being Orange. The head is black and the face is yellow but regional variations in the colour of the face occur. Orange appears to be the face colour so far seen in the invasiveness of the sub-species of Asian Hornet that has come to invade the European Continent. The sub-species has made classifaction much more difficult in the identification process.