large hornet, not european

The European hornets we have in my neck of Paulding are about 1 1/2 inches..........are you telling me bigger ones are around? No more rock salt in the scattergun! Guess you don't have any pics?

Sorry, no pics. No camera on me. I know that we are not suppose to have Asian Hornets here and I am not saying it was, but it was the biggest Hornet I have ever saw. We seem to have a decent European population here, and I normally see around 6-8 a week during the summer. This thing was bigger. On the bright side, it didn't bother me or my bees.

Cicada killer - it's a wasp. They really start to show up here in Texas this time of year.

If it looked exactly like your normal ones just bigger it may have been a queen, which are flying in fall prior to finding somewhere to hibernate for the winter. Queens are maybe 20 % longer than some workers but can weigh close to double.

Thanks Oldtimer, I never thought of it being a queen. I guess I will never know for sure, but very possible.

I've been killing Asian and European hornets here in the northeast for two years.
I have saved a few of them as evidence. Supposedly, Asian aren't here yet, but that's not true. They are larger than Europeans. I have killed about 30 of both, using kombucha scobe mushrooms as bait. They love them. Their powerful jaws can bite those mushrooms, yet I can't cut them with a knife. Both of those hornets watch me from above in an apple tree as I'm working in the hives, and then dive bomb into the top of the open hive. The girls surround it instantaneously and drag it out the top. And just as quickly I cut it in 1/2 with the hive tool. It happens so quick you hardly know what is happening. They will attack the girls continually as they come out to orientate. They are vicious creatures, as are all the hornets and yellow jackets.