Three tailed “hornet” Pembrokeshire

[Griffiths]

We've just seen a massive 3 tail hornet flying around our house and our hive, I'm no expert but i think it was the Asian one. It hasn't done anything to the hive I think it's looking for a place to nest

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We've just seen a massive 3 tail hornet flying around our house and our hive, I'm no expert but i think it was the Asian one. It hasn't done anything to the hive I think it's looking for a place to nest

Asian hornets don't have three tails!
Sure it's not a young dragon? this sultry weather brings the hatchlings down from the Preselis

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

 

[Woodland bees]

Sure it wasn't something like a harmless giant woodwasp?

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/giant-woodwasp

 

[Erichalfbee]

Asian hornets don't have three tails!
Sure it's not a young dragon? this sultry weather brings the hatchlings down from the Preselis

It is a dragon
One tail pulls the other
I don’t know what the spare is

 

[Griffiths]

Sure it wasn't something like a harmless giant woodwasp?

https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/giant-woodwasp

I'm not mistaken its a type of hornet. We have loads of wasps here, pulled down a nest of them last month. It was on my window less than a foot away, we all saw it quite clearly, definitely a hornet of some variety. We had a hornet here last year and this one was bigger

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We don't have Asian giant hornets here - or anywhere near us

 

[Griffiths]

I'm not making it up

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I'm not making it upView attachment 21516

That's 2017
and the top photograph you posted is not Velutina

It is a dragon
One tail pulls the other
I don’t know what the spare is

It's a boy!

 

[drdrday]

It's easy to get them all confused Griffiths, especially with journalists usually using the wrong images.

Asian hornet - Vespa velutina - has been found in the UK now, and we all need to be constantly alert for it and report it.
Asian giant hornet - Vespa mandarinia - thankfully isn't anywhere near us!

The Asian hornet is also pretty small, only 20-30mm in length (generally smaller than our own native European hornet), so it seems unlikely that that's what you saw and described as massive.

 

[Griffiths]

I thought you said there weren't any local to us?

2017, plenty of time for them to get here, tonnes of sightings in the UK. Less than 50 miles away as the crow flies.

this is what we saw, it was huge, had those 2 extra spikes either side of its stinger.

I'm not making this up, if you're not interested thats fine

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I thought you said there weren't any local to us?

There aren't there has never been a sighting of a giant Asian hornet anywhere in the UK or European mainland

tonnes of sightings in the UK.

If six or so means tons, then yes

this is what we saw, it was huge, had those 2 extra spikes either side of its stinger.


View attachment 21517

Well if you are adamant that is what you saw, panic over - it is definitely not an Asian hornet - Giant, standard or midget, so we can all (well those that decide to) stop flapping.
The Asian hornet Vespa velutina, now established in some parts of Europe and feared may skip the channel is by no means huge, it's not much bigger than a common wasp

 

[Griffiths]

If vespa velutina isn't much bigger than a common wasp it definitely wasn't that. The thing was at least the size of my thumb, and fat too!

Found and killed this last year, measured 43mm without its antenna, it was not the same as the one we saw today but wondered if anyone could identify it ?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

If vespa velutina isn't much bigger than a common wasp it definitely wasn't that. The thing was at least the size of my thumb, and fat too!

Possibly a horsefly, some are flippin massive. Not sure about the other one, I'm not much of a bugologist, try posting in the native bees and insects section.

 

[drdrday]

Looks like a wood wasp to me. They can be 40mm long and have those wide yellow bands on the abdomen and yellow eyes, legs and antennae.

 

[Woodland bees]

I'm not mistaken its a type of hornet. We have loads of wasps here, pulled down a nest of them last month. It was on my window less than a foot away, we all saw it quite clearly, definitely a hornet of some variety. We had a hornet here last year and this one was bigger

Don't suppose you took a photo?

We get loads of native hornets here, even have a nest about the place this year. The queens can be surprisingly large at the start of the season.

The other photo is what I linked to earlier, no need to kill the poor thing.

Looking up the Asian Giant Hornets, most photos don't seem to show three stings, just the Wiki photo you posted.

 

[Griffiths]

Don't suppose you took a photo?

We get loads of native hornets here, even have a nest about the place this year. The queens can be surprisingly large at the start of the season.

The other photo is what I linked to earlier, no need to kill the poor thing.

Looking up the Asian Giant Hornets, most photos don't seem to show three stings, just the Wiki photo you posted.

Sadly no pics it was over in a flash, the one we killed last year was in the house, my mum's seriously allergic to wasp stings so we had no choice.

Not sure what is was, definitely was huge, definitely had that 3 pronged tail

 

[Griffiths]

Looks like a wood wasp to me. They can be 40mm long and have those wide yellow bands on the abdomen and yellow eyes, legs and antennae.

Yes that's it!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes that's it!

View attachment 21520

Yes
Urocerus gigas

 

[ldwgs]

We've just seen a massive 3 tail hornet flying around our house and our hive, I'm no expert but i think it was the Asian one. It hasn't done anything to the hive I think it's looking for a place to nest

Download the Asian Hornet app, shows all UK Hornets with an easy reporting system, Talking to a guy who working in that team he said they are getting many reports of non Asians but they don't mind