Lifting up a log in the woods, I found this queen hornet. This is an already impregnated female who will have overwintered under the log. Now that spring has arrived, she'll head out to begin nest construction and lay eggs. The nest will be simple and small. Once the eggs hatch and more hornets are born, the work on the big paper nest we are all familiar with, will begin. Only the queens survive the winter, the workers and others die off when cold weather comes.