Asian Hornet Identification
Try our Asian Hornet quiz intended to help you recognise Asian Hornets and to ensure you know what to do if you should see one.
Each time you try the quiz it will give you a different mix of questions.
Congratulations!! You obviously have a good knowledge of how to identify Asian Hornet, and what to do about it if you do find one. Please be vigilant during the summer months and use your knowledge to help keep all our bees safe. Ooops! If you scroll down the page, you can see the correct answers and an explanation for those which were not correct. You can find more information about Asian Hornet at the National Bee Unit website Beebase. Why not take a look and then come back and have another go at our quiz. It is important that all beekeepers can identify the Asian Hornet quickly and accurately if we are going to keep our bees safe. It is important that beneficial insects are not trapped and killed while monitoring for the presence of Asian Hornet. At this stage of hornet invasion into the UK, if thousands of killing traps were set across the country, then the damage caused by the traps would be far greater than the damage being caused by the Asian Hornet. This is a Giant Wood Wasp photographed in Cheshire. The yellow legs can cause confusion as one of the key identification features for the Asian Hornet is it’s yellow legs. Three of the photos are of Asian Hornet nests. The fourth is a European Hornet nest. The nests are similar in appearance, especially from a distance. The Asian Hornet thorax is velvety black or very dark brown. The latin name of the Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax is based on it’s black thorax. This photograph shows the comparative size of the three insects. On the left, a common wasp queen, in the centre an Asian Hornet and on the right a European Hornet. The media often report Asian Hornet stories incorrectly with a photo of the Giant Asian Hornet shown below A. is a wasp B. is a honeybee C. is an Asian Hornet D. is a European Hornet These are European Hornets. You can see the multiple yellow banding on the hornets’ abdomens. Asian Hornets are active from April to December and so could be seen at any time during this period. However, as the nest gets bigger their requirement for protein increases. Experience over the past few years has shown that Asian Hornets are most likely to be predating on honeybee hives in late summer – August, September and into October.
Results
TRY THE QUIZ AGAIN
#1. In addition to catching Asian Hornets, what is most important about the use of a monitoring trap?
#2. What is this insect?
#3. Which of the following is NOT an Asian Hornet nest?
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Photos courtesy The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Crown Copyright
#4. What colour is the Asian Hornet’s thorax?
#5. Select the answer which lists Asian Hornet, Wasp, and European Hornet in terms of size (Longest first)
#6. Which of these images is of an Asian Hornet?
#7. Identify the insects entering this tree
#8. What colour is the Asian Hornet’s abdomen?
#9. When are you most likely to see Asian Hornets hawking in front of beehives?
#10. What colour are the Asian Hornet’s legs?
You can find out more about Asian Hornet HERE or on the National Bee Unit website.