What the **** is this!!?! (Insect related)

[Morningside]

Came in about an hour ago and this creature was hanging on my coat! It looks like a wasp but bigger.

I thought all these things were dead this time of year?

Poor picture as I did not want to be stung by it.

[Famous Graham]

Hornet.

Big fker, too.

[carreauchompeur]

Ugh, gibber. Looks like a hornet. Well done for maintaining your composure, I bloody wouldn't have!

[ShayneJ]

Queen wasp woken by the unusually warm weather kill it to death NOW

[Lord Flathead]

It looks like a Hornet. It's out of season, so it will be really pissed off.

[66comanche]

As said, a Hornet - which will give you a bloody nasty sting - get him outside, wouldn't kill him as you'll only anger the Hornet god and be stung countless times next summer.

[Famous Graham]

I, for one, welcome our new insect Overlords...

[Eighteeteewhy]

Famous Graham said:

I, for one, welcome our new insect Overlords...

Mentalist

[wombat172a]

Kill it with fire!!!

[750turbo]

That is Brian.

He is, as already said, a Hornet.

[Morningside]

He (it) has gone. I managed to trap it in a metal container and release it outside.

Then quickly legged it inside and slammed the door.

Evil thing. I have just been down the supermarket. I wonder if it was floating around there and came home with me.

Unless I have a hornets nest somewhere?

[Simpo Two]

I'd say Queen wasp. Hornets have brown bits.

[vescaegg]

Urggh even pictures of these things scare the crap out of me! Is it on me? it feels like its on me!

[wiffmaster]

Morningside said:

He (it) has gone. I managed to trap it in a metal container and release it outside.

Fool! It's cold outside, so guess where it's going to go? That's right - straight back into your house.

You should have killed it with fire.

[GTDNB]

Simpo Two said:

I'd say Queen wasp. Hornets have brown bits.

UK hornets are reddish brown and not black like that at all. We often get Queen wasps in our loft at this time of year which are always despatched on sight.
This summer I found a Hornet doing backstroke on the cold water tank and saw another in the garden a week or so later. In 32 years I'd never seen one in London, only in East Anglia and the South/South West.
they are very similar in appearance to the wasps we have, aside from the colouration, unlike the Japanese ones pictured above, which are supposedly fairly docile. unless you are a bee.

Edited by GTDNB on Saturday 31st December 03:15

[Japveesix]

As said above it does look like a wasp rather than a hornet. Would far rather a hornet, much less aggressive in general than wasps. Have a load of pictures of hornets sitting on my hand eating apple somewhere but can;t find them at the moment, lovely beasts and always interesting to watch them

[carreauchompeur]

Japveesix said:

As said above it does look like a wasp rather than a hornet. Would far rather a hornet, much less aggressive in general than wasps. Have a load of pictures of hornets sitting on my hand eating apple somewhere but can;t find them at the moment, lovely beasts and always interesting to watch them

Argh!

[Morningside]

carreauchompeur said:

Japveesix said:

As said above it does look like a wasp rather than a hornet. Would far rather a hornet, much less aggressive in general than wasps. Have a load of pictures of hornets sitting on my hand eating apple somewhere but can;t find them at the moment, lovely beasts and always interesting to watch them

Argh!

Really? We need photo proof. Custard optional.

Cannot see any wasp nests nearby so hopefully it was a one off.

[Cloggie]

It looks exactly like what they call a 'frelon' in France. Although it translates to 'hornet', these look like Wasp XXL and are very agressive. Their sting is a lot more painful than a normal wasp.