wasp hornet or worse

[nepia]

Why do you trap hornets - er - wasps?

[ABtrees]

4 minutes ago, nepia said:

Why do you trap hornets - er - wasps?

Sorry to say but it's to make our life a bit more comfortable.  At the moment we are plagued by both wasps and hornets (European).  We cannot enjoy any time outside without the attention of wasps right now - no BBQs, no food and no drinks.  Maybe 30 seconds before a wasp turns up.  Hornets - I agree - are a bit less problematic (to us humans) but … I have young kids who panic and start waving their arms around - not a good response I know !  Personally I got stung by my first hornet 2 yrs ago and don't want to ever be stung again.  (Have you ever had a hornet sting ?).  Generally I leave them alone (had a nest in a tree in the garden last year which I left - now wishing I hadn't !!! There are two other issues with them : first they (as well as the Asians) are decimating the bee population locally and secondly they appear to be attacking my Ash trees !  They are currently stripping the bark off the new growth - anyone else come across this - I would love to know why ? 

[openspaceman]

5 minutes ago, ABtrees said:

(Have you ever had a hornet sting ?)

No, tell us about it.

 

Where are you?

[ABtrees]

44 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

No, tell us about it.

 

Where are you?

In France.  Believe me nobody wants to get stung by a hornet.  I have been stung by wasps many, many times - nothing compared to a hornet sting.  To be fair it wasn't the hornets fault - I was on my bike and it went down my top,  I have broken various bones (some more seriously than others) over the years, but this was one of the most painful things I have ever experienced (maybe with the exception of a slurp of hot tea 10 hours after having my wisdom teeth out - doh !).  A friend of mine reckoned that when she was stung it was marginally worse than childbirth !  The pain lasted about 5 hours (non stop) before diminishing (at all) and then came back every 20/30 minutes and it carried on like that for the next 24/36 hours.  5 days later I'd still get the odd twinge.

2yrs on I still have a little lump where it stung me which itches from time to time - odd eh.

 

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by ABtrees

[ABtrees]

BTW I was in the UK last month and saw 3 hornets in 2 different locations ( both where I had never seen them before) I also had a Median wasp nest (which I left) in my little garden over there - interesting structure and very different to a common wasp nest.  Another one we have a lot of over here are the so called  'Paper wasps'.  And yes I've been stung by them as well - last time was about a month or so ago.  They are a pain inasmuch as they build a (relatively) small nest in the oddest of places - but they only sting you when you threaten the nest - which frequently happens because you have no idea it's there.  In the last year this has included the door of my tractor, the frame of my kids swing, under the shelving in my greenhouse and inside the pto guard on my grass topper.

Edited September 10, 2020 by ABtrees

[nepia]

Some reply - thanks - and I have to say fair enough.  I'd forgotten you were en France so of course your circumstances are somewhat different.

Oh - handcuff your kids and give the insects a break!!! ?

[youngsbury]

Got done by a hornet today ( yep it smarts alright ) was tidying up some fallen branches from the winds the other week and suddenly noticed some buzzing around me ( didn’t like the chainsaw saw noise or fumes I presume ) dropped everything leaped on quad and away one got me on mi elbow ?. Was like a seen from a cartoon with the buggers flying after me. Chainsaws still  there laying on the floor. 

[ABtrees]

4 minutes ago, nepia said:

Some reply - thanks - and I have to say fair enough.  I'd forgotten you were en France so of course your circumstances are somewhat different.

Oh - handcuff your kids and give the insects a break!!! ?

 

I think that's great advice - if only to protect my stash of chocolate biscuits (but is it legal ?!!!).  To be fair to them, they have also been stung (wasps and bees inadvertently), bitten (horseflies, spiders (!) and tics) and peed on (snakes and toads) so by and large they're pretty cool with it all.  That said, I don't want them (or anyone else) to be stung a hornet - it really does take your breath away.

 

Anyone got any info/theories on the hornets stripping the Ash bark ?

 

[ABtrees]

5 minutes ago, youngsbury said:

Got done by a hornet today ( yep it smarts alright ) was tidying up some fallen branches from the winds the other week and suddenly noticed some buzzing around me ( didn’t like the chainsaw saw noise or fumes I presume ) dropped everything leaped on quad and away one got me on mi elbow ?. Was like a seen from a cartoon with the buggers flying after me. Chainsaws still  there laying on the floor. 

 

I can relate fully to that - they do usually give you some warning.  Ringing up a fallen (hollow) oak last year, saw a hornet 2 ft in front of me, 10 seconds later maybe 15/20,  10 seconds after that literally 40/50.  Time to retreat to the tractor cab.  They followed en masse and just waited for my next move.  I left and picked the saw up two days later - tree's still there !

 

[doobin]

6 hours ago, ABtrees said:

 

I think that's great advice - if only to protect my stash of chocolate biscuits (but is it legal ?!!!).  To be fair to them, they have also been stung (wasps and bees inadvertently), bitten (horseflies, spiders (!) and tics) and peed on (snakes and toads) so by and large they're pretty cool with it all.  That said, I don't want them (or anyone else) to be stung a hornet - it really does take your breath away.

 

Anyone got any info/theories on the hornets stripping the Ash bark ?

 

General consensus is that late on the season it’s to get at the sap. Apparently lilac shrubs are