Australian hornet band marking the abdomen. The insects wings are largely translucent, but tinted orange with black areas at the wing's end. Being a member of the potter wasp subfamily (Eumeninae), "A. ephippium" females build large nests in sheltered positions using mud. The females search for prey (including spiders and caterpillars) around trees and shrubs, before sealing the captured insects inside the nest's cells. The larvae then feed upon these insects, before emerging. Australian hornet The Australian hornet ("Abispa ephippium"), actually a type of potter wasp or "mason wasp", is a vespid insect native to the Australian states and territories of the
Asian hornet Asian hornet The Asian hornet, also known as the yellow-legged hornet ("Vespa velutina"), is a species of hornet indigenous to Southeast Asia. It is of concern as an invasive species in some other countries. "Vespa velutina" is slightly smaller than the European hornet. Typically queens are 30 mm in length, and males about 24 mm. Workers measure about 20 mm in length. The species has distinctive yellow tarsi (legs). The thorax is a velvety brown or black with a brown abdomen. Each abdominal segment has a narrow posterior yellow border, except for the fourth segment, which is orange. The head