mega wasps!

[Martin]

if I can catch a live one, I'll send it to Andy! - he can practice co-existence to his heart's content............
In the meantime, I'll keep hefty swatters handy!

[Millymollymandy]

We have hornets in the garden, just like we have wasps and bees, red ants and other things which sting/bite.

Our hornets come out at dusk and swarm around the trees. They are not agressive.

I don't think there is any need to get your knickers in a twist - just ignore them and let them be. The only time to get concerned is if you find a nest in your chimney/garage/house!

[contadino]

They certainly seem to be hostile towards me, the dogs and the wife(...er...should that be the wife, the dogs, and me.) We had a nest in an olive tree last year and they were hell to dislodge. 1 can of useless wasp killer spray, 1 litre of benzina, 1 close look, and finally 1 stone firmly wedged into the entrance with a hammer sorted them out.

That said, they allegedly fertilize fig trees, and we have very few figs this year. Maybe running around screaming every evening is just the price you have to pay for a decent homegrown fig nowadays...

[contadina]

Contadino's not giving you the whole picture.

The wasps that made one of our olive trees home last year were as big, if not bigger, than fifty pence pieces and Italian's are terrified of them as a sting usually results in a hospital visit.

I had to kill (and me a vegetarian too) about 15 of them one evening with a saucepan (the only thing that I had to hand, which I'd covered in socks recovered from the washing line) in order to to get into the house. I trapped one under a glass and it deposited the biggest pool of venom so I can understand why they are so feared. I'm not a big a fan of killing insects unnecessarily, so any suggestions on how to deal with a wasps nests close to a house gratefully received.

[Martin]

I'd say their attitude is pretty hostile! They seem to have the hump that I'm living in the same patch of the country as them
If I were Mr Plod, I'd do them for threatening behaviour! Whack an asbo on them (in the meantime, I'll stick with the 2x1 method)
I promise you, they are DEEPLY scary! They hover, and glare threateningly at you!

[Millymollymandy]

Hee hee, just after I posted yesterday I had to leave my desk because a hornet came buzzing through the window behind me and buzzed around my desk area and kept settling on the light bulbs above my head (very low ceiling). Well I couldn't stay here typing! If their venom is worse than a wasp then I would have to go to the doc or a hospital.

In France people call out the pompiers (fire brigade) to get rid of their nests.

[Wombat]

Ewwww!