Hornets which preyed on honeybees in Fujian province, China, were identified as Vespa mandarinia, V. bicolor, V. basalis, V. tropica baematodes, V. ducalis and V. affinis. the life histories of these species are described, and details are given of overwintering, nesting, colony development, foraging and feeding habits. Experiments on control methods showed that the most effective was to smear captured hornets with a poisonous dust (\"Huichaoling dust\") at the rate of 1 - 2g per hornet.