Big bad wasp

[AnOther]

Look what just breezed into my study, I thought I was being buzzed by a humming bird !

That's an upturned pint glass and a 50c coin BTW

[IMG]http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p123/biskitboyo/wasp.jpg[/IMG]

[cooperlola]

Is it a European Hornet?

[AnOther]

Looks like it but 'was' is the operative word now, dispatched it with my executioner [;-)]

[img]http://www.jamesbarlow.co.uk/files/executioner-fly.jpg[/img]

[HoneySuckleDreams]

Shouldn't do that. Hornets are a lot less agressive as wasps and won't really bother you, and rather less common as well. I know it's difficult to ignore them when then come buzzing but please try to.

[Tancrède]

[quote user="crazyfrog"]Hornets are a lot less agressive than wasps and won't really bother you, and rather less common as well.  I know it's difficult to ignore them when they come buzzing but please try to.[/quote]

Hear, hear !  This is the first year I have not had a colony of these fascinating insects in my orchard.  Their nests are extremely interesting and amply repay investigation at the end of the season.

PS  Can someone tell me:  is AnOther's pic of a queen hornet, or is it too late in the season for them to be abroad, and how can one tell visually, please ?

[HoneySuckleDreams]

Actually where we live (SW) we have been told to report sightings of the Asian Hornet which was introduced by accident a few years ago. It's no more dangerous to us but apparently can cause problems with honey bees.

 

 

not your average hornet I hasten to add, this is  a Giant Asian hornet

[chris pp]

It is indeed a Queen European Hornet, you can tell by the size and the amount of reddish brown, in fact this year they are well behind like so many things with the weather and probably haven't raised any workers yet in most regions.

Re Asian Hornet including traps. http://www.planetepassion.eu/WILDLIFE-IN-FRANCE/Asian-Hornet_Vespa-velutina-nigrithorax_Frelon%20asiatique_France.html

Chris

[AnOther]

So was I right to kill it or not, if it hadn't invaded the house I wouldn't have ?

[chris pp]

Whether or not you should have killed it is a moral question and is for you to decide.

If you mean did you need to kill it, then the answer is No.

Chris

[Grumpy]

Hornets are attracted into the house at night time by the lights.  We had a number last year that were attracted to the outside flood lights each time they came on.  Unfortunately one light was directly in front of our gite so we turned that off for several weeks; end of problem.

As has already been said hornets will only attack under extreme provocation. If you get one in the house wait till it comes to rest then place and upturned glass over it and slip some paper between the galss and the surface the insect is resting on then take the whole kit and caboodle outside and release the hornet.  Same for bees, wasps and bumble bees and any other insects you don't want to kill.

Hornets are very good at re-cycling waste so should be preserved: I would hope to never have to kill one. With wasps I wouldn't entertain an nest near the house but otherwise trea them like hornets.

Grumpy