[13] Asian giant hornets prefer to live in low mountains and forests, while almost completely avoiding plains and high-altitude climates.

V. mandarinia creates nests by digging, co-opting pre-existing tunnels dug by rodents, or occupying spaces near rotten pine roots.

[21] The most recent revision in 2020 eliminated all of the subspecies rankings entirely, with "japonica", "magnifica", and "nobilis" now relegated to informal non-taxonomic names for different color forms.

[22][23][24] In July 2022, the Entomological Society of America stated that they will adopt the common name northern giant hornet for the species to avoid potentially discriminatory language, citing xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its stinger is typically 6 mm (1⁄4 in) long and delivers a potent venom that, in cases of multiple hornets stinging simultaneously, or by rare allergic reaction, can kill a human.

[30] Within two days of the initial 2020 news report on V. mandarinia, insect identification centers in the eastern United States (where the wasp does not occur) began getting identification requests, and were swamped for the next several months, even though not one of the thousands of submitted photos or samples was of V. mandarinia, but were instead primarily wasps such as the European hornet (V. crabro), the eastern cicada killer (Sphecius speciosus), or the southern yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa).

[Wil 5] This suggests that two separate introductions of the Asian giant hornet occurred in North America within about 80 km (50 mi) of one another within a few months.

[72] In 2020, the United States Congress considered specific legislation to eradicate V. mandarinia[73] including a proposal by the Interior Secretary, the Fish and Wildlife Director, and the other relevant agencies, which has been introduced as an amendment to the appropriations omnibus.

USDA APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) performed a genetic analysis several days later and, together with WSDA, confirmed it was of a third, unrelated population.

[34][Arc 1] As a particularly dominant species, no efforts are directed toward conserving V. mandarinia or its habitats, as they are common in areas of low human disturbance.

[81][35] Masato Ono, an entomologist at Tamagawa University, described the sensation of being stung as feeling "like a hot nail being driven into my leg".

[84] In 1957, van der Vecht was under the impression humans in the native range lived in constant fear of V. mandarinia and Iwata reported in 1976 that research and removal were hampered by its attacks.

Other behaviors include the formation of a "royal court" consisting of workers that lick and bite the queen, thereby ingesting her pheromones.

The ability to apply scents may have arisen because the Asian giant hornet relies heavily on honey bee colonies as its main food source.

[87][80] A single hornet is unable to take on an entire colony of honey bees because species such as Apis cerana have a well-organized defense mechanism.

The honey bees swarm one wasp and vibrate their thoracic muscles to heat up the hornet and raise carbon dioxide to a lethal level.

The first set parameter observed interaction-mediated departures, which are defined as scenarios wherein one species leaves its position due to the arrival of a more dominant individual.

[88] Lastly, when feeding at sap flows, fights between these hornets, Pseudotorynorrhina japonica, Neope goschkevitschii, and Lethe sicelis were observed, and once more V. mandarinia was the most dominant species.

Based on interaction-mediated departures, attempted patch entry, and interspecific fights, V. mandarinia is the most dominant Vespa species.

A single hornet can kill as many as 40 bees per minute due to its large mandibles, which can quickly strike and decapitate prey.

[5] Larvae of predatory social vespids generally, not just Vespa, secrete a clear liquid, sometimes referred to as Vespa amino acid mixture, the exact amino acid composition of which varies considerably from species to species, and which they produce to feed the adults on demand.

[92] Beekeepers in Japan attempted to introduce western honey bees (Apis mellifera) for the sake of their high productivity.

When a hornet scout locates and approaches a Japanese honey bee hive, she emits specific pheromonal hunting signals.

As the hornet enters, a mob of hundreds of bees surrounds it in a ball, completely covering it and preventing it from reacting effectively.

[citation needed] Based on an examination of larval waste products, the Washington State Department of Agriculture determined that the prey of V. mandarinia included cluster fly, orange legged drone fly, bristle fly, bronze birch borer beetle, western honey bee, western yellowjacket, German yellowjacket, aerial yellowjacket, bald faced hornet, European paper wasp, golden paper wasp, paddle-tailed darner dragonfly, shadow darner dragonfly, large yellow underwing moth, blinded sphinx moth, and red admiral butterfly (Vanessa atalanta).

Different measures of resistance include weeds, wire, or fishing nets or limiting the passage size so only honey bees can make it through.

The grubs are often preserved in jars, pan-fried or steamed with rice to make a savory dish called hebo-gohan or hebo-han (へぼ飯).

[106] If V. mandarinia were to settle all suitable habitats in North America, potential control costs in the United States would be over US$113.7 million/year (possibly significantly higher).

[Ala 6] By region, New England would be worst hit, and to a lesser degree the entire northeast and the entirety of eastern North America.

[Ala 6] New England would potentially become by far the greatest concentration of V. mandarinia in the world, far surpassing the original introduction site (the Pacific Northwest), and even its home range of East Asia.