chris pp

There are several issues here - personally I am not sure that sabotage would be constructive or even a correct way to behave.  There are however other issues that are already on the agenda, one being making Sunday a hunt free day to enable people and their families to use the countryside without the risk of being shot - which does occur! After all, France does pride itself on being the "Land of the family" There is also the issue of hunters breaking the law, which is also widespread, both with regard to  breaking the dates set for the seasons (France already has the longest hunting season in Europe) and it would seem for many this is not enough, also with regard to the use of prohibited means. There is also the use of methods which many would consider at best from another age, Chasse au gluau - where branches are painted with glue and birds that land on it become stuck. Chasse au filet japonais - basically where large mist nets are stretched across an area and large numbers of birds get caught in it.   Chasse assomoir - where a large rock is propped up on a support which can be pulled away allowing the rock to fall on whatever is underneath. I could go on! Many associations are working with these issues and I am pleased to say that last week WWF France have taken up the baton. Chris.  

Sorry my earlier post was a bit rushed! It is definitely 150 metres and as you say shots must be fired away from buildings. If you have made your land or garden Chasse Interdite it is also illegal to fire into or across your land or to enter it. This is a result of the 1999 ruling in the European Court that French law was in contravention of  human rights . In this instance the rights of a property owner to enjoy their own land without disturbance or being put in danger or by a matter of conscience to prevent the killing of animals on ones own land. As many will be aware in most of France under the so called Law Verdeille the local ACCA (hunters association) has the right to hunt on all the land regardless of who owns it, this includes gardens! After the 1999 ruling it became possible to "take your land back"  but just to make it that little bit more difficult it can only be finalised at 5 yearly intervals (birthdays) from the date of creation of you local ACCA. Associations that will assist you with this are: Ligue ROC  http://www.roc.asso.fr     ASPAS    http://www.aspas-nature.org or any branch of the LPO. Ligue de protection des Oiseaux. I hope this helps to clarify the situation a bit. Chris.  

YES in a word there is a legal distance from a house and it is 150 metres to fire or have a loaded gun. You can prevent hunters using your land by way of a legal process therefore making it Chasse Interdite! You can go to our website where you will find 3 associations that will assist you with this. The only cost to you will be to become a member of one of these associations, this is not very much. All the best,  Chris

Live and work in the south of Vienne (86) and enjoy the natural world ( always have ) no expertise as such. Every day I see something that surprises me or I learn something new - France probably has the most interesting wildlife in Europe. Thats about it really. Chris

It would be nice to make contact some time Guimbarde2 - where are you based? Chris

You will find "fact sheets" on all the snakes in France on our site.   Generally as has already been said they are gone before you get near them (sadly). Chris.  

Just a quickie, not a criticism - bourdon is French for Bumble bee and therefore for all bees of this type. It is difficult to say anything new, I would personally consider that the culprit may be something else. The best thing to do is to treat the timbers of your house with the most environmentally friendly product ( for your health as well ) that you can find to do the job. It should be possible with a bit of patience to find out if it is the carpenter bees. If you knew in the spring, April, May, June which were freshly used holes and could fasten some strong fine netting around the entrance hole and then observe the result in late summer, which is when adult bees emerge. (they then overwinter and the cycle continues). Good luck, Chris

The facts of the situation have been made clear one way or another on "the other forum". All birds are protected in France with the exception of the birds listed as "huntable". All three types of Heron and the cormorant are protected Nationally. Cormorants can be subject to culling only by a specific arret prefectorial, this is normally only given for people who are running fish farms for human consumption and is subject to a quota and circumstances. No firing of guns or hunting is permitted outside of the hunting season dates set every year (different dates for different types of hunt) The only group that is permitted in normal circumstances to operate outside of these dates is the Guarde de Chasse again by prefectorial arret. Coypu ( or ragondin) are subject to the same hunting laws although again the commune can apply for a specific arret. Unfortunately poisoning of coypu is widely practised at all times of the year - the problem with poison is that other species, some endangered fall victim to the poison - BAD NEWS. There are also other complications which require legal solutions - it is not straight forward to make you fishing or hunting private without a legal process - if you hunt or fish on your land so can everyone else in most departements. The only place where one will get definitive answers is the Prefecture - forget your local Mayor. Chris  

Is it this?    Chris

1. Yes the website is my own, not very good and in a state of disorganised creation - no frilly bits, I do not have much time for it.  2. I am genuinely interested in the carpenter bees and peoples experience with them - my question is to Admin did you actually see new holes being created by the bees or were they going in and out of existing holes?   Also what was the timber - oak -chestnut - pine or what? I have lived in France for 10 years - Poitou Charentes - black carpenter bees are common and I have no personal experience of anyone who has had damage caused by them. My house is 250 years old and has not sustained any damage even though untreated.   I would think that if the timber in the house was treated that should be sufficient. They should certainly not be killed wholesale as they have suffered a substantial decline in many parts of Europe as it is. Chris  

Would you be so kind as to give the source of this information and exactly what it said please? Chris

The bee that you are refereing to is the blue carpenter bee, Xylocopa violacea which is a solitary bee. It makes its egg chambers in old and decomposing wood with a preference for damp or soft woods, it is extremely rare that it will use the timbers of a house,although it is often seen "looking". If you observe it you will see that it inspects any sort of hole in any type of material including concrete and stone, it just sees the shape of a hole and investigates. I hope this helps remove some of your fears. Chris