My mother found a hornet at home (in northern France) that is probably building a nest. Is that an asian hornet? If yes, how can I exterminate them?
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$\begingroup$ I am not very good at species ID but it does not look like a Asian giant hornet to me. Asian giant hornets typically have wider dark stripes. It could be a European hornet. Where was the picture taken? $\endgroup$– Remi.bApr 21, 2019 at 21:37
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$\begingroup$ Yes, northern France to be precise $\endgroup$– AntoineApr 21, 2019 at 21:39
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1$\begingroup$ The OP is probably asking about the asian hornet (which is invasive in France) rather than the asian giant hornet (which is not), though this one looks like neither. $\endgroup$– Bryan Krause is on strike ♦Apr 21, 2019 at 22:55
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$\begingroup$ Yes I'm talking about the invasive asian hornet $\endgroup$– AntoineApr 21, 2019 at 23:04
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1 Answer
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This is not a hornet, this a wasp. See the yellow dots on the thorax ? They are typical of the Vespula genus. So is the yellow and black stripe pattern on the abdomen. Those wasps are smaller than hornets (1-2 cm for wasps, 3-4 cm for hornets). Picture from Wikipedia:
There are two common Vespula species in France (V. vulgaris and V. germanica), but to identify yours, we would need a better view of the head and abdomen.
On the image below, you can compare it to the two hornet species you can find in France (source). The first one is a bee, the second one is a wasp (Vespula), the third one is the invasive "Asian hornet" (Vespa velutina) and the fourth one is the native "European hornet" (Vespa crabro).
So no extermination needed ;) You can find more information (in French) on how to recognize these species on the Natural History Museum website.
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