Our local bee inspector kindly provided us with this block containing an Asian Hornet and the more familiar European Hornet. Can you tell which is which?
Yes the more familiar European Hornet has the browner body, without the yellow socks of the Asian Hornet which I'm sure you recognised as the top specimen. These examples have now faded, but the single yellow stripe near the top of the abdomen on the Asian Hornet is usually a distinctive feature and if any of us were to spot one, we should take a picture or capture it if possible, and report the sighting through to the government link above...