Facts about Hornets

1. 08

   Bald-faced hornets can survive in temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing them to remain active longer into autumn than many other wasp species.

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2. 07

   During spring nest construction, a single hornet queen can lay up to 10,000 eggs throughout her reproductive season to populate the colony.

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3. 06

   The mandibles of a hornet can exert a crushing force of up to 300 pounds per square inch, enabling them to chew through wood fibers to construct their papery nests.

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4. 05

   Hornets produce a chemical alarm pheromone that can recruit nestmates from up to 100 feet away when the colony faces threats.

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5. 04

   European hornets can live up to 12 months as queens, making them significantly longer-lived than their worker counterparts which survive only 3 to 6 weeks.

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6. 03

   Venomous stings from hornets deliver neurotoxins that can cause severe pain lasting up to 12 hours in humans.

   HornetsMay 14sharebiologyvenomdefense
7. 02

   A single hornet nest can contain 200 to 400 individual hornets working together to build and defend their paper-like structure.

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8. 01

   At speeds up to 25 miles per hour, bald-faced hornets are among the fastest flying wasps in North America.

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