Hornet hornets may often be black and white. There is also a related genus of Asian nocturnal vespines, "Provespa", which are referred to as "night wasps" or "night hornets", though they are not true hornets. Some other large wasps are sometimes referred to as hornets, most notably the bald-faced hornet ("Dolichovespula maculata") found in North America. It is set apart by its black and ivory coloration. The name "hornet" is used for this and related species primarily because of their habit of making aerial nests (similar to the true hornets) rather than subterranean nests. Another example is the Australian hornet ("Abispa
Japanese giant hornet Japanese giant hornet The Japanese giant hornet ("Vespa mandarinia japonica") is a subspecies of the world's largest hornet, the Asian giant hornet ("V. mandarinia"). It is a large insect, with adults frequently growing to greater than long, with a wingspan greater than . It has a large yellow head with large eyes, and a dark brown thorax with an abdomen banded in brown and yellow. The Japanese giant hornet has three small, simple eyes on the top of the head between the two large compound eyes. As the name implies, it is endemic to the Japanese islands, where it prefers