Hornets

[David Humphries]

Hornets setting up home in a woodstone House Martin nest

 

 

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[Garyjp]

Nuke 'em!

 

 

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[cornish wood burner]

Used to be a hornets nest in the loft of the farmhouse I grew up in. They never bothered us except a few would sometimes find their way into the bedrooms at night. My experience is a wasp will sting you just for the hell of it but a hornet is much more forgiving, more like a honey bee in temperment. Never been stung but they do look the part. A queen is HUGE if you ever see one.

[Billhook]

They really are quite peaceful insects unless you are trying to destroy them or their nest. My father was an amateur entomologist and he was always fascinated by them. As has been stated before he insisted that the sting was no worse than a wasp but that the sting spike actually causes a painful slash.

If you disturb a nest in the woods an upset them they will fly around squirting venom in the air which makes the whole nest very animated and active, time to beat a hasty retreat!

 

Father had a friend who used to move nests out of people's lofts and reposition them in a hole in a tree. He used to take the nest with his bare hands and if he did not knock it on the way to the tree, he said the hornets were quite all right, and settled well into their new home.

 

Like wasps they actually do a lot of good in cleaning up the flies and debris around the place and unless they are really in the way should be left alone and not persecuted just because they have a defensive sting.

[timbernut]

I like em but my whole family spazz out whenever they strafe our turf, a few years ago my daughter heard a scratching sound behind our caravan and when she looked found a hornet with an emperor dragonfly, she ( the hornet not my lass! ) nipped off the wings n legs and cut the rest of it into sections and made four journeys up into a nearby oak it took about 30 mins.

 

My patterdale was stung when a pup he looked like he had a squash ball over his nose ( not happy )

 

To deter them from nesting to close I sit watch with the blower and blast em until they decide to go elsewhere: it's worked the last 3yrs although they do make several attempts before giving up!

[Billhook]

Correct, protected by German law, but you can get a permit to move or have moved the nest to another location if the nest is (too) close to your house or in intensively used or visited parts of your vegetable or flower garden. I once had a nest in my Eifel "garden" awfully close to my compost heap, so I moved it, with license, to the far end of my property, so they could still visit the fermentating gooseberries at the back of my house,

 

In our poplar log cabin there is a wasps nest hanging up in the rafters. I have no war with wasps as I think they do a lot of good around the place so I was about to try and relocate it in a pre-prepared hollow tree.

I went down to start the job but was amazed to see another nest being built alongside as I always thought that they were territorial, but then I saw they were quite big wasps so I assumed that the queens had all left the first nest and started to build this new nest. Strange I thought to myself!

 

 

Closer examination showed that they are not queen wasps but hornets!

Would they fight the common wasps or prey on them? The first nest does seem a lot less busy since this second one has been going.

 

How do you set about moving them Fungus without the whole nest collapsing.

I was thinking once suitably attired to go down at night and cover the nest with a stout plastic bag and sever it from the beam with a bread knife.

What preparations would you make to the new site?

[Agi-Smash]

Seen a fair few in gloucestershire. Was in the garage one night cleaning off my lathe, heard what sounded like a chinook coming down from the reafters, immediate reaction to swing the dust pan at it. Got it and fair play are they well armoured. Made a hell of a crack against the back of the dust pan. It was huge! Luckily it was just the one.

Impressive insects

[hedgesparrow]

why did i read this thread beads of sweat are running down my face. had loads indoors last year fantastic creatures but not indoors tried getting them out of windows some went others i did have to zap as freaking everyone out. do not see many thank goodness.

but look very scary if not a fan of wasps make a wasp look like a ant in size.

i need a stiff drink now to calm my nerves:biggrin:

[HertsWood]

This time of year this is my only defence to wasps & hornets......

 

 

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[predator]