james Mallett Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 In the last couple of days, I have had the unwanted and terrifying pleasure of having these absoloutely massive things in my house. The look like wasps, but seem to have two separate bits to their body and they are easily 2 inches long. I don't know where they are coming from. A couple of days ago, one came down the chimney, so I opened the fire door and let it outside, but today when I came back from the shops there were THREE of the monsters in my house and I'd only been gone an hour and all the windows were closed. Does anyone know what they are and how to get rid. They are REALLY scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Ant, your scary things could well be frelons (hornets).Keep out of their way, they have a very, very nasty sting! If you have a frelon nest the pompiers may be able to remove it for you.There was a thread about this that may be of interest to you...http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=282&messageid=92601#bm93426 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Last year I put my bare foot into a shoe with a dozy hornet it. It just grazed me rather than a full sting but I was surprised at quite how painful it was - much worse than a wasp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnM Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Doh. Thanks for reminding me about those "things". There are fruit trees near my front door but the fruit doesn't get picked on account of the owners living in Paris... 6 hours away. Those things just love the rotting fruit. I was working at an airshow last weekend and saw an electrified tennis racket zapper thing that I meant to buy just for them, but got so busy that I forgot... anyone know where I can buy one in 73??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayB Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 [quote]Doh. Thanks for reminding me about those "things". There are fruit trees near my front door but the fruit doesn't get picked on account of the owners living in Paris... 6 hours away. Those things just...[/quote]**an electrified tennis racket zapper thing**Sounds interesting, however, the ONLY answer is to get rid of the nest. The queen must be killed or they will return.Several stings in rapid succesion can kill. The Pompiers did ours but in some depts they don't anymore. They will recommend a private company who will in that instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Have a look on this Living France forum 'Owning a french property' at the topic : 'uge wasps...' There is a photo of some wasp look-alike insect. Maybe it is the same as you have in your house....It doesn't look too friendly as an insect... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryansmith Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 The electrified tennis raquet can be bought at any branch of the Casa store. They are very effective Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayB Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 [quote]The electrified tennis raquet can be bought at any branch of the Casa store. They are very effective[/quote]**any branch of the Casa store.**Where are they located, Bryan? Can't seem to find any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo Taylor Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Facts on hornets:http://www.muenster.org/hornissenschutz/hornets.htmMyth no.1 - Is the urban (or perhaps rural!) myth that their stings kill people. Hornet stings are no more harmful than those of wasps, multiple stings will only be life-threatening if you have a sensitivity like a very small percentage of people have to bee stings and go into anaphylactic shock. Nor will they "attack" like wasps seem to! They are annoying to have in the house, we had them last year. Other Half got stung twice when a dozy one went up his trouser leg, they do get a bit woozy in the autumn. It hurt, but after a couple of ibuprofen the pain faded (he's not that stoical!). Wasp stings in previous years have given him more pain.Myth no.2 - Hornets do not return to the same nest, they're gone in November and find a new location each year.The above site is very informative (it's in English despite the German name).Jo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcazar Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Two years ago this August, while hunting for huge pine cones for the wife's school, (well, not actually hers, but she is head there ), we disturbed a hornet's nest.We were OK, but the hornets emerged (it was dusk), and attacked my wife who was standing on the road about 20 feet from the nest, but brightly dressed.She received three stings to her face. Both the doctor and the pharmacist who helped us told us that too many hornet stings can kill, and that we should have taken her to hospital with that many.Her face was a mess........Quasimodo had nowt on her, she couldn't see out of her right eye for a week it was so swollen, and the stings were all at least 3cm from her eye. The pain was so bad, she actually wept.Hornets are now on my, and the kids' "kill on sight" list, along with horse flies, mozzies, and those nasty little b*ggers that look like house flies until you get the biteBack to topic: "two inches long" sounds more like the giant wood wasp, although they are solitary.Do your beasts have red (red ant type red) legs and antennae? If so, that's what they are.Unfortunately, I don't know if they sting or are aggressive.Alcazar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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