Summer photos: Hornets

Not everybody's favourite insect, the hornet, but this particular species, the European hornet (Vespa crabro), hoornaar in Dutch, is far less agressive than the common wasp, and they will leave you well alone if you don't bother them.

Here's a queen, feeding on oak sap before she starts a new nest, which she will never leave once she's settled in:

^{Olympus XZ-1, 112mm, ISO100, f8, 1/125s}

Size differences between workers and queens:

^{Olympus XZ-1, 112mm, ISO400, f4, 1/40s}

Checking an oak tree for a place to get sap:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO800, f5.6, 1/250s}

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 300mm, ISO800, f5.6, 1/250s}

Filleting a prey to feed the little ones (yes, hornets hunt other insects):

^{Olympus XZ-1, 112mm, ISO100, f6.3, 1/200s}

And finally the wondrous nest entrance:

^{Olympus Stylus 1s, 265mm, ISO400, f8, 1/100s}

They will warn you by doing loud fly-pasts when you come too close to their nest, but they will only attack you if you ignore those warnings instead of step back.

Thanks for watching!