I love hornets, when I see one I am filled with mild terror, even though they are far less aggressive than wasps (which I am also fond of). I've been wanting to find a nest so I could take some pictures, but in the end the nest found me, right above my head as I ventured into my garden shed.
I took a few hasty pictures whilst the queen was out gathering building materials. In one of the cells there is an egg, the first hornet egg I have seen. Interesting to me that she builds the nest around her developing brood.
The queen abandoned this nest shortly after, possibly due to my disturbance (regrettable, but I do need to get in and out of the shed). There is another, or perhaps the same hornet hanging about nearby (a few inches away), but she doesn't seem to be particularly active in building a new nest. The old starter nest in the picture has been partially deconstructed, presumably to recycle the materials.
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| A Hornet |
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| A Hornet egg in a nest in my shed |
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