Studies on the ecology of social wasps and bees in urban environments 1. Records on aerial nests of the giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia japonica (Hymenoptera : Vespidae) within human buildings

Abstract

Three nests of the giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, have been recorded for the first time in man-made structures in urban areas after 1998. One was in the wall cavity of a wooden house, one was under the floor and one was in the roof space. The nest structure was peculiar in that the top comb was strengthened with a highly developed roof envelope which had many ribbon-like pillars. The biggest nest contained 4,677 cells including 670 queen cells in 4 combs with 540 workers and the foundress queen.