<P> The nesting cycle of V. mandarinia is fairly consistent with that of other eusocial insects . Six phases occur in each cycle . </P> <P> Inseminated queens and uninseminated queens enter hibernation following a cycle . They first appear in early to mid-April and begin feeding on the sap of Quercus trees . Although this timing is consistent among hornets, V. mandarinia dominates the order, receiving preference for premium sap sources . Among the V. mandarinia queens is a dominance hierarchy . Top - ranked queens begin feeding, while the other queens form a circle around her . Once the top queen finishes, the second - highest ranking queen feeds . This process repeats until the last queen feeds at a poor hour . </P> <P> Inseminated queens start to search for nesting sites in late April . The uninseminated queens do not search for nests since their ovaries never fully develop . They continue to feed, but then disappear in early July . </P> <P> An inseminated queen begins to create relatively small cells in which she raises around 40 small workers . Workers do not begin to work outside of the hive until July . Queens participate in activities outside the hive until mid-July, when they stay inside the nest and allow workers to do extranidal activities . Early August marks a fully developed nest, containing three combs holding 500 cells and 100 workers . After mid-September, no more eggs are laid and the focus shifts to caring for larvae . The queens die in late October . </P>

Difference between asian giant hornet and european hornet