Vespa analis - Yellow-Vented Hornet

Hornets generally get a bad reputation, people thinking that the best is going to attack at any second. I know this all too well, as this was me up until just a few years ago. But I have learned that these bugs are simply not interested in me, unless I take an aggressive interest in them.

I have photographed fifty plus species of wasp, and the only time that I was stung was when I picked up a tiny fly off the pool table, as it was obstructing my shot. It turned out to be a wasp. Ironically, I was trying not to kill it.

The wasp in question, analis, is a social wasp and constructs a nest, starting with a single wasp. As the hatch progresses, the size of the nest is built on and can become sizeable.

The danger comes when you accidentally bump the tree containing the nest. You will be investigated, and if considered a threat, you will be stung. When you are attacked, the wasp gives off a pheromone which calls more wasps into the attack. More stings, more pheromones, and very soon, you have the entire nest on your case.

The sting is very painful, but only a problem if you have an allergy to the venom. Of course, if the nest attacks and you receive hundreds of stings, the sheer volume of venom will put you in danger.

Location is Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Alongside a stream and paddy fields.