We may be letting our imaginations run away with us. I think we are looking ( hoping ?) for some bitch queen like in Aliens......Why am I saying this ?......This morning I had a queen wasp in the house, now she was the size of a normal wasp, head & thorax, that is, but her abdomen was much longer, prehaps a 1/3 longer than a worker, it extended far beyond the wing tips, it was a little wider too.( the hornet being a vespidae, I assume it's the same for them).so the answer may be in the abdomen & not the general size.........I know what you're thinking, how did I know it was a queen, well the truth is I don't, since reading this thread I have started to really take notice of the wasps & hornets buzzing around at the moment & I am noticing things that normally I wouldn't give a second glance at. The wasp in question was only remarkable by the size of her abdomen. Not conclusive I grant you, but prehaps worth building on.
I don't know about you chaps, but I have found the net to be particually poor on info about this subject, especially distinguishing queens from workers, but I'm probably mis-spelling in the research thingy.
For all those of you who may have concerns about the outcome of the wasp mentioned earlier, rest assured, the window was opened & she flew away, unharmed, to continue her tireless a essential work.
