Larger than average hornets.

[Storm™]

Hi all

This is my first post although been lurking for a while. I have no bees as yet but hopefully getting a small holding in the next few months and will set aside at least a couple of acres for the bees when we do. Renting a small annex on a small holding for now and have a fusia plant which the bees love. However we have noticed some very large hornets Which vary in colour from the usual to orange and brown. Now when i say they are large they are two to three inches long and aggressive. The thing we have noticed is that they can often be seen carrying honey bees off up into the trees. They also when drinking land in the pond at full speed hover drink and then take off again undeterred by the water. Managed to wallop one with a flip flop in order to take a photo but it dusted itself off and flew away. Ex squash player so it should have coofed it but it didn't.

Any ideas. Also was not aware hornets used bees as food. So this is a new one on me.

Cheers in advance Storm.

 

[Chris Luck]

Try this recent thread.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6949&highlight=hornets

Chris

 

[kazmcc]

Managed to wallop one with a flip flop in order to take a photo but it dusted itself off and flew away. Ex squash player so it should have coofed it but it didn't.

walloped it with a flip flop......that's funny

welcome btw

 

[ryan_220]

Look like this by anychance, i found this on the top of one of my hives it also got a wack as it was picking on my bees.
I dont like killing them just for the fun if i can help it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

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[kazmcc]

oh my giddy aunts! those pictures are horrendous. It's enough to put me back to being a " buzzing things " phobic

They even look evil. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like that in my life....I would have remembered, trust me.

 

[Storm™]

Yup that's them. I do not kill stuff for fun either but this one was after my dog. A black and White springer. He was like oooooo look at the pretty buzzy thing. So swiped at it which of course made it come for me. Almost instantly another joined it.

There is an old trick the tribes in the amazon use to find things like this. They catch one. Then using very fine fishing line they tie a feather round it's abdomen on the end of two meters of line. Then they let it go. They follow the feather as it now slows it down. They follow it back to the nest and bingo they have the lot. It goes back to get help and the rest cut the line off. If they are picking off hives as explained on the other thread mentioned it may be necessary to do this. I don't know or there may be a better alternative. Thanks for the replies.

 

[pbh4]

These are pictures of the wasps/hornets that were hanging around our holiday flat in Italy this summer. We were staying at an organic goat and honey farm. They did not seem to bother the bees which were hived about 200 m away but they spent a lot of time hanging around our apartment! I hope they do not make it to the English Midlands.

Paul

 

[shonto]

Look like this by anychance, i found this on the top of one of my hives it also got a wack as it was picking on my bees.
I dont like killing them just for the fun if i can help it.

OMG !!!

is that a garden spafe in the pic ??

 

[kazmcc]

"shudder"

 

[Storm™]

This one and two others came in the house last night. They are increasing in activeness it seems. This one was dispatched at 11 pm. Quite often whilst out having a smoke when its dark they try and attack the glowing end of the cigarette. We have an electric tennis racket now which we have in our hand all the time. This one was only a small one and usually they are much bigger. About as large as my thumb. But this one is just bigger than the 2 pence peace. We think they came in through the cooker and shower vent. So they have now been clingfilmed shut lol.

 

[Storm™]

And there is this picture which is more the same size we are seeing.

http://smilejunkie.com/huge-japanese-hornet-anatomy-video/

 

[Essexgary]

OMG !!!

is that a garden spafe in the pic ??

I had 2 hornets just like this hanging around about a month ago. One morning I went to look at the hive and saw a dead hornet on the floor by the hive entrance with 3 dead bees around it - they managed to sort him out! but I have to say, it was like a scene from a Shakesperian tradegy. Since then, no hornets - not as brave as they look....

Gary

 

[Chris Luck]

Hmmm, as I keep saying, we have thousands of them here in France, http://www.planetepassion.eu/WILDLIFE-IN-FRANCE/Hornet-or-Frelon-in-France.html, and no problems for the hives

These are the worry, http://www.planetepassion.eu/WILDLIFE-IN-FRANCE/Asian-Hornet_Vespa-velutina-nigrithorax_Frelon%20asiatique_France.html, but only if you get a nest in close proximity. NOT IN THE UK YET.

Asian Hornet nest​

Chris

 

[Storm™]

Post Removed

 

[kazmcc]

And there is this picture which is more the same size we are seeing.

http://smilejunkie.com/huge-japanese-hornet-anatomy-video/

Oh dear god!!! I can't cope

 

[MJBee]

Chris's picture of the Asian Hornet nest does not give any idea of scale - they are HUGE!! the one I found last year was over 1 meter deep and 60cm diameter.

We have had a lot of Asians again this year but the nests are invisible - until the leaves fall off the trees and by then it is too late

 

[blackbrood]

Chris's picture of the Asian Hornet nest does not give any idea of scale - they are HUGE!! the one I found last year was over 1 meter deep and 60cm diameter.

We have had a lot of Asians again this year but the nests are invisible - until the leaves fall off the trees and by then it is too late

how can you kill an Asian hornets nest of that size whilst it still has hornets in it?

 

[Chris Luck]

Doh.

Long ladder, bee suit on, special "spray" with a 6 metre range and wallop, blasts it to pieces. Burning is also an option but in an ideal world both operations should be as near to nightfall as possible and should be swift, especially late in the season when it will be full of queens ready to overwinter.

Chris, Bee watcher.

 

[kazmcc]

Flamethrower?