Less Talk, More Eating

A European Hornet/Vespa crabro chomps up a bee. This is a true hornet, and an introduction to North America. It’s been around since the mid-1800s. These wasps are late season, meaning I’m still seeing them in October. (They come out at night, too, but I’m rarely out at night). I’ve been on the lookout for one of their tree-cavity nests for years now. (Only a couple of the nests have been documented in NYC on iNaturalist, although clearly the wasps are all over.)

One of the biggest local insects. They cruise around looking to tackle their prey. Like most predators, they miss most of the time. But when they get somebody, they hang from a leg or two and chomp chomp chomp!

Usually, they’re on the move and hard to capture in photographs. As above, you can sometimes catch them chomping up prey, much of which is used to feed their young (larvae). They’re not too frequently seen on plants taking nectar. They do, however, eat tree sap.

That’s why this one is so cooperative for the camera. That gouge is in the bark of a Quaking Aspen. There were also a half dozen Bald-faced Hornets here dipping into this tree’s sap as well.