Hornet’s Nest

We were driving through the Apalachicola National Forest when I noticed this hornet’s nest, high in a pine.

We stopped so I could take a couple of pictures.

I searched for the opening where the wasps come and go from; and I found it in the sun.

It was a cool day. There was no sign of the wasps. I read that the nest is generally abandoned for winter and not reused. The queen selects the location of the nest and begins building it. This queen obviously had no fear of heights. The nest itself is made of wood that the wasps strip and then chew and mix with a starch in their saliva.