''Vespa simillima'', the yellow hornet, including the color form known as the , is a common

hornet Hornets (insects in the genus ''Vespa'') are the largest of the Eusociality, eusocial wasps, and are similar in appearance to yellowjackets, their close relatives. Some species can reach up to in length. They are distinguished from other Vespi ...

species in the Eastern Hemisphere. The typical mainland color form ( Japanese:ケブカスズメバチ, Korean: 털보말벌, "hairy wasp") is darker and hairier than the yellow form; it lives in

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, the

Korean Peninsula Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically divided at or near the 38th parallel between North Korea (Dem ...

Eastern Siberia Eastern Siberia is a part of Siberia that incorporates the territory located between the Yenisei River in the west and the Pacific Ocean divides in the east. Its area is equal to 7.2 million sq. km.Galina Samoylova (Г. С. Самойлова)В� ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, but is less common in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, where the yellow color form predominates. It should not be confused with the

Asian giant hornet The Asian giant hornet (''Vespa mandarinia''), also known as the northern giant hornet, and the Japanese giant hornet, is the world's largest hornet. It is native to temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, mainland Southeast Asia, and par ...

(''Vespa mandarinia''), which has a color form sometimes referred to as the "Japanese giant hornet". While there is a history of recognizing subspecies within many hornets, the most recent taxonomic revision treats all subspecific names in the genus ''Vespa'' as synonyms, effectively relegating them to no more than informal names for regional color forms.A.H. Smith-Pardo, J.M. Carpenter, L. Kimsey (2020) The diversity of hornets in the genus ''Vespa'' (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Vespinae), their importance and interceptions in the United States. Insect Systematics and Diversity 4(3) https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixaa006

Biology

Due to the large size of the swarm and aggressiveness of the yellow hornet, predation against them is rare. Along with other insects in

and Korea, they are prey to the

and nests have been known to be deserted after Asian giant hornet attacks, even though they attack in groups of only 10 to 30. Nests of the yellow hornet are sometimes attacked by the parasitic species known as the black hornet (''

Vespa dybowskii ''Vespa dybowskii'', also known as the black hornet or Dybowski's hornet, is a species of hornet found in Japan, Korea, Russia and China. It is considered rare or uncommon throughout its range. It has been suggested for attention in the Red Datab ...

''). In the early stage of nesting, the black hornet queen attacks the queens of other hornets, including the yellow hornet and

European hornet The European hornet (''Vespa crabro'') is the largest eusocial wasp native to Europe. It is also the only true hornet (genus ''Vespa'') found in North America, having been introduced to the United States and Canada from Europe as early as 1840. ...

. If the assault succeeds, it will usurp the nest to produce its offspring, assisted by the workers of the former owner. The yellow hornet has the largest swarms of all of the hornet species, containing 1,000 to 2,000 workers. Although the yellow hornet is much smaller than the

, it can be more dangerous to humans because it will attack people in greater numbers.

References

Hymenoptera of Asia Insects of Japan Vespidae Insects described in 1868 {{Vespidae-stub