European Hornet vs African Driver Ant

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute European Hornet African Driver Ant
Scientific Name Vespa crabro Dorylus wilverthi
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Vespidae Dorylidae
Size 25-35 mm Workers 3-13 mm; queen up to 50 mm
Habitat Orchards Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia, North America Central Africa, East Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

European Hornet

The largest European wasp, with a brown and yellow striped body and reddish-brown head and thorax. Despite its fearsome appearance, it is relatively docile for a social wasp.

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Did You Know?

European hornets are one of the few wasp species that actively hunt at night, attracted to lights where they capture other insects.

African Driver Ant

A notorious army ant species that forms massive raiding columns through the forest floor. Colonies can contain over 20 million individuals.

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Did You Know?

Soldier ants have such powerful jaws that indigenous peoples have used them as natural wound sutures.