Quick Take
- Standard beekeeping gear won't protect you from these hornets, and the reason why reveals just how different they are from anything else.
- They were declared eradicated from the US, but the path to that outcome is more dramatic than most people realize. See the eradication story →
- A nest's cell count doesn't tell you how many hornets actually live inside, and the gap between those two numbers turns out to be striking. Explore nest cell counts →
- These hornets aren't naturally aggressive toward people, yet working near their nest is still one of the most dangerous pest removal jobs imaginable.
If there’s ever a time to leave pest removal to trained professionals, it’s when you’re dealing with northern giant hornets. Formerly widely called Asian giant hornets, these insects are the largest hornet species in the world. In the footage, the removal team approaches a large nest wearing full protective gear, including heavy body coverings and face protection. That level of caution makes sense. Northern giant hornets can sting repeatedly, and their stingers are long enough to penetrate ordinary beekeeping clothing.
The video begins with the team carefully opening the structure around the nest and removing hornets as they work. This is not the kind of job someone should attempt without specialized equipment and training. Northern giant hornets generally do not seek people out, but they can become highly defensive when their nest is disturbed. That makes working this close to an active colony particularly risky.
As more of the surrounding structure comes away, the size of the nest becomes clear. Two people eventually work together to lift the nest, exposing multiple horizontal layers of comb underneath. Like other social wasps, northern giant hornets build paper-like combs from chewed plant fibers. Mature nests can contain several comb layers and thousands of individual brood cells, although the exact size varies considerably from one colony to another.
How Big Are Northern Giant Hornets?
Northern giant hornets are the largest hornet species in the world and can reach about 2 inches in length.
©iStock.com/kororokerokero
Northern giant hornets measure roughly 1.5 to 2 inches long, making them the largest hornets in the world. Their size makes some of their identifying features relatively easy to see, including a large orange or yellow-orange head, dark eyes, a mostly dark thorax, and an abdomen marked with alternating dark and orange or yellow bands. Even so, they can be confused with other large wasps and hornets, including cicada killers and European hornets.
They are native to a broad region of Asia, with their natural range extending from northern India through East Asia. The species became infamous in North America under the nickname “murder hornet” after detections in British Columbia and Washington beginning in 2019. Washington officials eradicated four nests in 2020 and 2021, and after three years without another confirmed detection, state and federal officials declared the species eradicated from Washington and the United States in December 2024. Northern giant hornets are not typically aggressive toward people, but they can deliver painful, repeated stings when threatened or when defending a nest.
How Large Do Northern Giant Hornet Nests Get?
This image shows a yellow-legged hornet nest. Yellow-legged hornets are a different species from northern giant hornets and often build large aerial nests.
Northern giant hornet nests can become remarkably large, but there is no single standard size. The species typically nests in preexisting cavities, often underground in abandoned burrows or around tree roots, although nests have occasionally been documented inside walls, floors, and roof spaces. Mature colonies may contain anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand brood cells arranged across multiple horizontal combs.
One large nest documented in Japan contained 4,677 cells and 540 active workers, while research on mature nests has found averages of roughly 2,700 cells in some populations. Because cells can be reused as new hornets develop, the number of cells does not directly equal the number of hornets living in a colony. Northern giant hornet colonies are annual. Workers, males, and the founding queen die as the colony shuts down in late fall or early winter, while newly mated queens overwinter and begin new colonies the following spring.
