Queen 28-35mm, male 28-32mm, worker 24-30mm

After hibernation, the hornet queen builds a new nest. She lays eggs and hunts insect (bees, wasps, flies) to feed larvae with it. After the first worker hatches, the queen stops working and only lays eggs. The colony can grow up to 1000 workers during the summer. Hornets use many chemical signals to communicate, for example, they mark newly-found resources with them. Hunters usually hunt on flowers or catch bees/wasps returning to their nests. When two hornets meet, they check each other. If they´re from different colonies, they fight by biting or even stinging. The weaker one escapes or (rarely) is killed.
Hornets may sometimes attack beehives to steal honey. They also eat fruits, but aren´t usually attracted to lemonades, picnics and sugary food. Builders collect wood from trees and build the nest with it.
When young queens and males are hatching, the old queen dies. Larvae of workers is forgot and taken out. After mating, queens hibernate in ground and wood. Workers die with no replacement. After the winter, queens build new nests.