[header] How to identify a hornet [title] Observe a gray, oval-shaped object made of paper. [step] While it's not actually paper, it is a paper-like substance made from hornet saliva and wood. The nest houses eggs, and hornets are very protective of both their home and their eggs. 
Hence, you really don't want to be caught near their nest lest they consider you a danger. [substeps] While it starts as a small, honeycomb-looking object, as the colony grows, the nest expands to an oval shape resembling a football, stalactite, or inverted teardrop.