Hornets!

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Discussion

Narcisus

Original Poster:

8,244 posts

287 months

Sunday 19th May
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Never seen one before flew into the bedroom and landed on the bed then just seemed to chill ! I don't think I've ever moved so fast in my life !

Poked my head around the door and its just sat there with the rotors at flight idle.

Shot downstairs and grabbed a pint glass which I put over it then took it outside the whole process didn't bother it temperament seemed more like a large Bumble Bee than a Wasp.

Took the glass away and after a few seconds it took off did a circuit of the garden then headed toward the woods.

Must have been 4cm it was bloody huge.

Amazing thing I'm ..... Buzzing ! hehe

NDA

22,326 posts

232 months

Sunday 19th May
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I generally see maybe ten a year.... but had two in the house yesterday.

They are generally very docile and should be left well alone as they're dangerous things. "Like having a hot nail put in you" was how one friend described being stung by one.

Narcisus

Original Poster:

8,244 posts

287 months

Sunday 19th May
quotequote all
NDA said:
I generally see maybe ten a year.... but had two in the house yesterday.

They are generally very docile and should be left well alone as they're dangerous things. "Like having a hot nail put in you" was how one friend described being stung by one.
I never really put myself in a position for it to sting me.... When I took the glass away outside I 'ran' into the house to watch the departure !

fourstardan

5,002 posts

151 months

Sunday 19th May
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Shouldn't you get rid of them as they are evasive.

Get a lot around my garden as we have a copse.

carlo996

6,815 posts

28 months

Sunday 19th May
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WD40. It takes care of them, and other two winged bds without much fuss.

Zaichik

284 posts

43 months

Sunday 19th May
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they're nasty buggers. I am told they never forget a face and like beer.

MesoForm

9,152 posts

282 months

Sunday 19th May
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NDA said:
I generally see maybe ten a year.... but had two in the house yesterday.

They are generally very docile and should be left well alone as they're dangerous things. "Like having a hot nail put in you" was how one friend described being stung by one.
The European Hornets are like a bee sting aren’t they? Heard one outside my office window a few days back, they make a very loud droning sound!
The Asian Hornets are the ones to be wary of.

Stick Legs

5,909 posts

172 months

Sunday 19th May
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fourstardan said:
Shouldn't you get rid of them as they are evasive.

Get a lot around my garden as we have a copse.
I think you mean invasive. No, European Hornets have been here for millennia.

They are evasive though, leave them alone & they leave you alone.

MesoForm

9,152 posts

282 months

Sunday 19th May
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CheesecakeRunner said:
If it’s an Asian hornet, you’re supposed to report it so the nest can be destroyed. Must admit, I wouldn’t know the difference.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-app-to-repo...
Asian Hornets are black and yellow, European ones are brown and yellow


balham123

51 posts

6 months

Sunday 19th May
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I had a big nest behind one of the shutters of my place in France. There were hundreds flying round the garden, no way we could stay there. Put family back into car and we drove back in to town to find a B&B. I went to local DIY shop and bought 2 big cans of hornet spray and went back to house. Hoodie with hood up. Duct tape round trousers bottoms. Gardening gloves and more tape around sleeves. A net curtain from one of the windows over my head (and more tape) and a chainsaw helmet with visor. I went into battle looking ridiculous and still terrified. Sprayed both cans at the nest, dropped cans and ran away. Sat in car for 30 mins getting heart rate back to normal and ensuring none had followed me into car. Next day they were all dead. Left for another 24 hours then gingerly opened up. Thousands of dead ones and a really beautiful nest.

Japveesix

4,529 posts

175 months

Sunday 19th May
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Hornets are very docile and they're sting is barely any different to a bee. Not pleasant but hardly going to kill you.

If you've literally seen one I'd consider it a interesting sighting of a fascinating creature and forget about it.

I've stood directly Infront of hornets nests with my face literally inches away, and they've shown no interest at all. And I've fed them on my hand from chunks of apple.

People panic about wildlife too much, just let them live and get on with your own life and the real problems like mortgages, the cost of a pint and cancer.

Actual

1,033 posts

113 months

Sunday 19th May
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Wifey once disturbed a hornets nest while walking the dogs on a regular walking route. Suffered many 100's of stings to the head and body and they even managed to sting though her coat. Many stings were just puncture sites as the creature had run out venom. Hospital job but released same day. I was blamed for not walking the dogs.

popeyewhite

21,355 posts

127 months

Sunday 19th May
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Don't mind wasps at all. Once in France many years ago I was stung by a proper hornet - the big ones you only get abroad - on my left nipple. Wouldn't have minded but I was on acid at the time so that was interesting.

Magnum 475

3,650 posts

139 months

Monday 20th May
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We've got loads of them, European variety, in the forest across the road from our house. Sound like low flying helicopters, but totally chilled critters who don't bother us at all.

Kids are bl**dy terrified of them, even though they've never been stung.

dickymint

25,827 posts

265 months

Monday 20th May
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MesoForm said:
CheesecakeRunner said:
If it’s an Asian hornet, you’re supposed to report it so the nest can be destroyed. Must admit, I wouldn’t know the difference.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-app-to-repo...
Asian Hornets are black and yellow, European ones are brown and yellow
You're confusing Asian Hornets with Asian Giant Hornets! You wont see 'Giants' in the UK anytime soon. Asian Hornets are in fact smaller than our native European Hornets. The best way to identify the Asian is its yellow legs.

They're actually no more threat to us than our native ones. The biggest problem is the damage they can do to our wildlife especially honey bees - a dozen Asian Hornets can wipe out an entire beehive colony in hours yikes

I'm a beekeeper smile

carlo996

6,815 posts

28 months

Monday 20th May
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popeyewhite said:
Don't mind wasps at all. Once in France many years ago I was stung by a proper hornet - the big ones you only get abroad - on my left nipple. Wouldn't have minded but I was on acid at the time so that was interesting.
I feel there is a fantastic back story to this biggrin

glennjamin

377 posts

70 months

Monday 20th May
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Wife called me yesterday to see what was entering bird nest box on shed, was a bloody great Hornet. I went in shed got some insect spray and gave the box a spray if flew out double quick looked at me and cleared off I guess it got a eye full. Good job she saw it or may have had a nest full of the blighters....

popeyewhite

21,355 posts

127 months

Monday 20th May
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carlo996 said:
I feel there is a fantastic back story to this biggrin
Camping with a couple of mates late Eighties in the South of France. Borme/Le Lavandou. We'd just been to a free festival (Stonehenge?) back home and took our unfinished, um, personal medication with us. Good times.

Lotobear

7,145 posts

135 months

Tuesday 21st May
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...wondering of some of these sightings have been confused with horntails (giant wood wasp)? Fearsome looking beasties but totally harmless

rlw

3,412 posts

244 months

Tuesday 21st May
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There was an article in the Times a while back that was very pro-hornet. It mentioned an occasion when the writer was asked to remove a hornets' nest from a friend's property. As they were quite docile, he picked up the nest, put it in a box, put the box on the back seat of his car and took the nest into a nearby wood.

Without any protection except gloves and without being stung.

In my view the only good thing about hornets is that they are big, so easily spotted and zapped.