Bigger than your average wasp...
Discussion
The only Hornet's nest I've seen was in a tree trunk.
Picture the scene - a rural farmer's field, blocked with most of a tree to prevent illegal access from the nomadic you-know-who's.
This tree trunk looks like the ideal place to lean my bike against, while I take a photograph of the magnificent view off the ridge over the Downs. Great. 'Park' bike, walk along to gap in hedgerow, take the picture, stroll back, get on bike and ride away. Easy.
But no. On returning to my bike, it had been identified by the resident Hornets as a potential threat, and they were busy dealing with it. The saddle and handlebars were crawling with the wee beasties. Fortunately I'd spotted them and didn't approach too close. I was left wondering how long (if ever) It'd tae for me to reclaim my bike. After ten minutes or so they began to lose interest and disappear back down a hole in the tree. There were one or two still buzzing around but I risked it and pulled the bike away from the nest. That started them up again, but they seemed preoccupied with the immediate vicinity of the nest entrance. Eventually I got brave enough to take a peak, before getting on my bike and legging it out of there!
I even took a few pictures, but I'm not very good at filing photos with searchable key words so I can't find them now...
Picture the scene - a rural farmer's field, blocked with most of a tree to prevent illegal access from the nomadic you-know-who's.
This tree trunk looks like the ideal place to lean my bike against, while I take a photograph of the magnificent view off the ridge over the Downs. Great. 'Park' bike, walk along to gap in hedgerow, take the picture, stroll back, get on bike and ride away. Easy.
But no. On returning to my bike, it had been identified by the resident Hornets as a potential threat, and they were busy dealing with it. The saddle and handlebars were crawling with the wee beasties. Fortunately I'd spotted them and didn't approach too close. I was left wondering how long (if ever) It'd tae for me to reclaim my bike. After ten minutes or so they began to lose interest and disappear back down a hole in the tree. There were one or two still buzzing around but I risked it and pulled the bike away from the nest. That started them up again, but they seemed preoccupied with the immediate vicinity of the nest entrance. Eventually I got brave enough to take a peak, before getting on my bike and legging it out of there!
I even took a few pictures, but I'm not very good at filing photos with searchable key words so I can't find them now...
definitely a native wood hornet which are sadly now quite rare so think yourself privileged to have seen one. We live near woodlands and get the occasional one in the house so I very carefully take it outside and let it go -they are far more docile than standard wasps and no threat to anyone unless you disturb their nest but are very beneficial to the environment as they feed on aphids and other insects.
We get quite a few near here and they are beneficial eating all sorts of bugs. They don't seem to get drunk like wasps at the end of the year and are more docile than wasps but don't upset them! I was clearing nettles near our stable and hit the nest. I was attacked and managed to run away almost quick enough. One stung my thumb joint , it felt like someone had hammered a nail in. It came up like a balloon but did respond to anti-histamine but hurt for two weeks as if a nail was still in it. I called an exterminator who laughed and said it would be wasps. He approached without protection with his stuff thinking wasps. He retreated quickly when he found I was right, hornets.
All sorted quickly
All sorted quickly
I found one walking round the front room; well, my son nearly trod on it! It took some cajoling to get it into a tupperware box and release it in the garden but off it went.....
....until next year when I saw one flying through a crack in the garage door frame. Had a little peek and noticed the little stingy, yellow b
d was building a nest in the top corner of the roof. Quite a fascinating process. Obviously, I had 'the man' come round and evict him, and I haven't seen one for a while since. I should check the eaves again.
....until next year when I saw one flying through a crack in the garage door frame. Had a little peek and noticed the little stingy, yellow b
d was building a nest in the top corner of the roof. Quite a fascinating process. Obviously, I had 'the man' come round and evict him, and I haven't seen one for a while since. I should check the eaves again.We had a nest of them in the eaves of our porch. They're attracted to light and about 15 of them would hang about on the windows of our nearby conservatory at night. Huge scary looking things!
They are supposed to be less aggressive than your common-or-garden wasp so we let them get on with it and would happily, though cautiously, walk past their nest at just above head height as they came and went. They disappeared one day in the autumn.
They are supposed to be less aggressive than your common-or-garden wasp so we let them get on with it and would happily, though cautiously, walk past their nest at just above head height as they came and went. They disappeared one day in the autumn.
There was a trail running race in Brittany two years ago, someone kicked a hornets nest and 33 runners got stung.
Six were taken to hospital and one had a nasty reaction and was in intensive care.
Not to be messed with..
One of the European hornets drowned in a fruit fly trap I'd put up. It was as big as the bottom of a 2 litre coke bottle!
Six were taken to hospital and one had a nasty reaction and was in intensive care.
Not to be messed with..
One of the European hornets drowned in a fruit fly trap I'd put up. It was as big as the bottom of a 2 litre coke bottle!
^ The nest was in a tree. The scouts came out and being friendly bounced a runner who ran off. They bounced a few others as well. Being Hornets they didn't realise there was a race in progress and assumed their 'bouncing' was being ignored and that the nest was under threat. You can guess the rest.
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