As of August, 2020, there are NO ASIAN GIANT HORNETS in the northeast. What you might see are Cicada Killers or European Hornets.
Please don’t kill these large but very low risk cicada killer wasps. CICADA KILLER WASP up to 1.5″ with a rusty red head and thorax, russet colored wings, and a mostly black pointy abdomen, marked with (generally) three yellowish stripes.
Cicada killer wasps are large insects (1.5 inches) that are present in summer months. Female wasps are solitary, each digging their own burrow in bare/open soil. Male wasps will guard a female nest and chase other wasps and humans that approach. Fortunately males cannot sting.
Another big one? EUROPEAN HORNETS. Workers 1″, Queens up to 1.4″ Abdomens are not as pointy as the Cicada killer wasp and you’ll notice a lot of yellow on abdomen. The European hornet (Vespa crabro) is the only true hornet in the northeastern US. It is an introduced species, most commonly seen in forested areas and farmland. The paper nest resembles that of a large yellowjacket nest, but it is usually tan, not gray. European hornets are social, predatory and beneficial, but they will occasionally bang into glass windows at night attracted by lights inside. Though they resemble cicada killer wasps, European hornets have very different habits.
New York State Integrated Pest Management to read more go to : https://blogs.cornell.edu/…/cicadas-and-cicada-killers…