Bite or sting?

[Gemini_man]

Was it a bite or was it a sting?

I've been attacking a patch of brambles this week, it's a big patch, and I got so far then came up against two very aggressive flying things. I reckon they were guards, probably of a nest. When I started clipping a certain area they would fly rapidly at me, darting aggressively  and even banging against my head. They were bigger than a wasp but smaller than a hornet but didn't fly like either. They were quick, very quick and darting in their flight. All I could see of them appeared to be black, no sign of yellow. Each time they attacked I legged it but they never followed for more than a few meters. Yesterday I continued my work and the same thing happened and eventually one of them went for my forearm and presumably stung me. It was painful, very. There was a red mark where it had struck and quite quickly the pain spread to a larger area of my arm. I poured vinegar over the mark and the swelling and it helped briefly. I was concerned because I'd had bad reactions the last two times I have been stung by wasps so my mind was calculating - hmm, it's a ferrié, damn, no pharmacy, no doctors, which would leave the local SAMU or a trip to A&E at Perigueux 45 mins away if things got very bad. Fortunately the pain diminished after a couple of hours and the swelling stayed relatively localised, about the size of a giant chicken fillet and itchy as hell, and it still is a day later. So my question is does anyone have any idea what my opponents might have been? Not wasps, almost certainly not hornets although they did dart at me in the same way that hornets do when being aggressive. The closest I can come to them is drone flies which move fast and change direction often and easily but they don't bite or sting so far as I know. Anyone any ideas?

[chris pp]

Possibly one of the horse fly species, they do like to hang around brambles but nothing to do with a nest.

Chris

[Gemini_man]

I did wonder about a horse fly Chris but having looked up about them apparently they draw blood and feed on it, not so in my case. I've been thinking more about it and the mark that remains is similar to a wasp sting so I'm wondering if there is anything in between a wasp and a hornet that I don't know about. Still very swollen and itching like crazy.

I'm also trying to devise a foolproof plan to go back again and see if I can't trap one of the blighters!!

[chris pp]

Are you actually sure what it was that stung you, I mean did you actually see that particular insect do it?

I get stings and bites all the time and rarely know what the perpetrator was.

Chris

[Gemini_man]

Yes I saw it very clearly but only from in front because it was darting at me as it attacked. What struck me was it's speed and darting movements. When it stung me I dropped the shears I was holding and legged it out of there in case it attacked again. From in front it appeared black but having looked at various photos I see that a Frelon Asiatique is black at the front and not really like the frelons I am used to.  Having read this article I'm beginning to think this might be the culprit:  http://tinyurl.com/5bpp2z

Mind you I shall be in real trouble if I find a nest like the one shown in the article [8-)]

[Nicos]

Here's a picture of the Asian Giant Hornet....look at it's SIZE!!!!!!![:-))]

This is the Asian Hornet- black at the front as you say..

(out of interest- why isn't that site 'clickable' after copying and pasting it on here??- should I have done something else to it first??)