Nests are annual and die out in winter. These hornets have a large stinger and large poison sac and the sting can be painful, but they do not appear to be particularly aggressive or vicious. There is no known insecticidal control for use on host plants. Attempt to locate the nest by following the hornet in its flight to and from the nest. Wear protective clothing and destroy the nest at night by placing an insecticidal dust into the nest entrance, although even at night it is still possible to get stung.
European hornets fly at night and are attracted to lights and windows.
Remarks European hornets abandon their nest at the end of the year. A single queen starts a new nest in the spring and this nest is at first small and has few workers. The limited number of twigs and branches that are damaged in the spring usually go unnoticed. By the end of the summer when many workers are active the damage is more prevalent and easy to spot, especially since girdled areas are highly attractive to other foragers, such as flies and sap beetles, which come to the wounds to collect sap, sometimes in great numbers. Further Reading Drooz, Arnold T., Editor. 1985.