Saw a Giant Hornet in Bandera? What It Most Likely Is
No one has ever confirmed a northern giant hornet, the insect nicknamed the murder hornet, anywhere in Texas. Its only U.S. foothold, in northwest Washington, was wiped out, and USDA made that official in December 2024. A huge wasp in Bandera is almost certainly a native insect: most often a cicada killer, a tarantula hawk or an oversized yellowjacket queen. If one of those is nesting where your family walks, call or text Pest Trappers at (210) 281-1064 or book online.
Where the giant hornet has actually been found #
On this continent the hornet turned up only in British Columbia and in Whatcom County, Washington. Crews located four nests there in 2020 and 2021, every one inside a hollow alder. After three straight years with no confirmed hornet, Washington and USDA declared the job finished for the whole country on Dec. 18, 2024 (WSDA). WSDA adds a caveat: the hornet got in once, so it could get in again.
As for Texas, the state's bee inspectors at TAIS state plainly that the hornet is not present here (TAIS). Since July 2022 its official common name has been "northern giant hornet," a switch made by the Entomological Society of America. Our giant hornet guide covers the details.
Look-alikes around Bandera, at a glance #
| Insect | What it looks like | Where you notice it | Bandera page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cicada killer | Up to about 1 1/2 in; dark red head and thorax, yellow-banded black abdomen | Hovering over sunny lawns and bare soil, digging holes | Cicada killers |
| Tarantula hawk | Up to 2 in; metallic blue-black, wings orange or dark | On flowers, or dragging a tarantula | Tarantula hawks |
| Yellowjacket queen | Much bigger than workers, largely orange | Early in the season, alone | Yellowjackets |
| Baldfaced hornet | 3/4 in, black and white | Papery gray nest up on a branch | Baldfaced hornets |
| Carpenter or bumble bee | About 3/4 in, fuzzy or shiny black | Porch trim, flowers | Carpenter bees |
AgriLife also mentions the pigeon horntail, which shares the giant hornet's head shape and color but has no visible waist and cannot sting.
Summer by the Medina: when big wasps get noticed #
Bandera County is Texas Hill Country, and the Medina River runs southeast past town toward Medina Lake. Warm months bring people outside to yards, porches and the riverbank, and that is when the big native wasps are most visible: cicada killers come out as adults in summer and dig in sunny, well-drained ground, and tarantula hawks feed on flower nectar during the day.
Giant hornets, by contrast, would struggle here. In AgriLife's words, "Texas does not seem to be ideal habitat" for them (Insects in the City).
Three quick checks before you worry #
- Head width. A giant hornet's bright orange-yellow head is as wide as its shoulders or wider. On a cicada killer, the head is slimmer than the thorax behind it.
- Behavior. A big wasp that keeps landing at a small hole in the ground with a pile of dirt beside it is a cicada killer at its burrow.
- Body color. Steel blue-black with orange wings is a tarantula hawk, not a hornet.
Still think you saw one? #
Photograph it from a safe distance, then send the picture in through the online insect identification form run by Texas A&M's entomology department; that is the route TAIS points to. A beekeeper who suspects a giant hornet raid on a hive can call 979-321-5827 or email [email protected]. Washington's hotline only handles Washington reports.
Spare the cicada killers, too. AgriLife says treating them is rarely warranted for such a useful insect.
Where Pest Trappers fits in #
We cannot confirm a giant hornet; that is the agencies' job. Our part is naming the insect you actually saw and dealing with a real nest, such as yellowjackets in the ground or a hornet nest by the door. A technician inspects, explains the options, follows each product label and gives you a price after the visit. Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549), a family-owned company licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, handles stinging insects in Bandera; see our Bandera page for the rest.