Hornet - Prey

Prey

Adult hornets and their relatives (e.g., yellowjackets) feed themselves on nectar and sugar-rich plant foods. Thus, they can often be seen on the sap of oak trees, rotting sweet fruits, honey and any sugar-containing foodstuffs. Hornets frequently fly into orchards to feast on over-ripe fruit. A person who accidentally plucks a fruit (e.g., pear) with a hornet inside it — they tend to gnaw a hole into the fruit to be totally immersed in its juicy meat — can be easily attacked by the disturbed insect.

The adults prey on various insects as well, which they kill with stings and jaws. Due to their size and the power of poison, hornets are able to kill large or dangerous insects such as honey bees, grasshoppers and locusts without difficulty or much effort. The victim is fully masticated and then fed down in the form of slurry to the larvae developing in the nest, rather than consumed by the adult hornets. Given that some of their prey are considered pests, hornets may be considered beneficial under some circumstances.