Japanese Hornets

Somewhere near the cabin, there's a hornets nest.

 And not just any hornets nest. These are Japanese Hornets.

One of the hornets on the porch floor. That's a quarter next to it to give perspective.

Big and beefy. Folks around here call 'em B-52s.

I've read up on 'em, they do indeed carry a large amount of venom.

Tonight, they're buzzing around the outdoor floodlights. Not a swarm exactly, but seven to eight at a time. I'm playing bug assassin, spraying them from afar as a new group congregates.

I'm used to the flying wasp and hornet killer making short work of stinging insects. With these guys, it's taking a long time for the poison to work its magic.

Update: Friend on Twitter says these are European hornets. Doing some checking, I find it looks like he's probably right.