Hornet

A large social wasp, belonging to the order Hymenoptera, that builds nests made from chewed plants and wood. Hornets generally measure from a half-inch to an inch-and-a-half long. Their wings are reddish-orange in color, and their abdomens are orange with a brown stripe in the middle. The common European hornet has spread throughout much of the world, though they are close to extinction in Europe and parts of Canada.

Hornets are able to sting repeatedly and painfully, but they are not considered to be very aggressive insects. They may attack in a swarm if their nest is threatened, but it's believed that a hornet outside of the nest will always prefer to stay away from humans. They don't even tend to bother humans inside houses or on picnics -- their diet is limited, for the most part, to insects, spiders, and other wasps, so that big stinging bug hassling you for your peanut butter and jelly sandwich may actually be a yellowjacket.

Hornets are a protected species in Germany, and some areas of Europe have started hornet protection programs to help sustain the hornet population.

Research from http://www.allsands.com/Science/hornetinsect_abb_gn.htm

compiled overview of the 20ton Hornet 'Mech, from various BattleTech novels and game sourcebooks:

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The Hornet is a light 'Mech designed in the 2990s for urban reconnaissance. The earliest models were used on Davion/Capellan and Davion/Periphery border worlds to hunt down subversives before demonstrations could get out of hand. This lightly armed but (for a recon 'Mech) heavily armored machine is good for little else.

The Federated Suns' government had ordered far fewer Hornets since the advent of the Fourth Succession War. Jaime Wolf, meanwhile has always deployed the Hornet in greater numbers than did House Davion, applying his legendary tactical brilliance to finding legitimate combat uses for the Hornets in his light and recon lances.

The Hornet was one of the first 'Mechs to use recovered technology in the hope of improving its performance. The modifications were made at the high-security Kallon BattleMech Factory on the planet Talon in the Wernke system. The HNT-171 model shown has appeared in limited numbers in Federated Commonwealth units, mostly in the Sarna March, apparently as part of a field test. Wolf's Dragoons may be using a different model, but ComStar has been unable to confirm that.

The Federated Commonwealth version is far more effective than the old HNT-151. It incorporates the lighter endo steel construction, combined with ferro-fibrous armor and Cellular Ammunition Storage Equipment. The 171 model carries half a ton less armor than the 151, but has virtually the same amount of external protection and significantly more protection against an ammunition explosion.

The HNT-151's MainFire Point Defense anti-missile system gives the Hornet better defense against enemy missiles at the cost of an ineffectively small laser. It remains to be seen, however, whether the improved Hornet will prove more valuable on the battlefield than its predecessor.

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Hor"net (?), n. [AS. hyrnet; akin to OHG. hornaz, hornuz, G. horniss; perh. akin to E. horn, and named from the sound it makes as if blowing the horn; but more prob. akin to D. horzel, Lith. szirszone, L. crabo.] Zool.

A large, strong wasp. The European species (Vespa crabro) is of a dark brown and yellow color. It is very pugnacious, and its sting is very severe. Its nest is constructed of a paperlike material, and the layers of comb are hung together by columns. The American white-faced hornet (V. maculata) is larger and has similar habits.

Hornet fly Zool., any dipterous insect of the genus Asilus, and allied genera, of which there are numerous species. They are large and fierce flies which capture bees and other insects, often larger than themselves, and suck their blood. Called also hawk fly, robber fly. -- To stir up a hornet's nest, to provoke the attack of a swarm of spiteful enemies or spirited critics. [Colloq.]

 

© Webster 1913.