Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)

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Photographs shot at a small stream flowing from the Kalamafka spring on Crete.

Both images taken with settings:

f/9, 1/320 sec, ISO 400

Kalamafka spring on the island of Crete

Oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)

The Oriental Hornet is a social insect of the family Vespidae. They are related to other hornets and to wasps,

They can be found in a wide area, stretching from India, through the middle east to Turkey, northern Africa and southern Europe.

Body size is about 3 cm.

There were several hornets, and wasps, and bees collecting water at the stream, which was one of the very few in the area which still had water running, thanks to the spring a short distance upstream.

The water disappeared into the ground a few metres further on, so this seemed to be a prime site for the insects to get access to it.

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