Seen a hornet in the garden

[Creemteez]

Must admit, i've never seen a hornet, ever. But i've always liked wildlife and myself would love to see one, so i don't think you're that mad. Although i would keep my distance somewhat! How big was it??

Shame you weren't in my Mum's living room at about three oclock this afternoon, you could have seen one very close up!
Strangely this was my first veiwing of a hornet and I was going to post the fact on a seperate thread, but hey, since we're on the subject.
Aren't they ENOURMOUS? - and the noise they make when they take off is like a jet engine! The one in mum's place was a bit woozy as I think he'd been bashing his head against the window to get out. I swept him up gently with a long handled dustpan and brush and put him out on the deck. He sat there panting for a minute, then polished up his antennea, gunned his turbo booster and took off into the blue.
I hope he doesn't come back to visit too often, but I have to agree with Womble, - he was beautiful in a sinister sort of way.

[Johnk81]

I had a hornet in my garden too , actually had a couple , I do photography aswell in my spare time and this shot of a hornet is one of my favourites , those in the know on photography will know that when I had to use my macro function they will realise how close I had to get to get this!

[womble]

John, that doesn't look like a hornet to me, I thought they were all yellow and black?
Unless it just looks odd in the photo.

Great photo btw!

[IgglePiggle]

Can I just quote what the natural history museum says about them. You will believe them, right?
"Less aggressive

Despite their intimidating size and rattling sound, V. crabro tends to behave less aggressively than other social wasps and is certainly less prone to attack and sting. The queen is actually larger in size than the Asian hornet.

The sting of V. crabro is said to be no worse than other species of social wasp despite their size. It is used as defence but is principally used to immobilise their insect prey, which are macerated (chewed up and made soft) and fed to the hornet larvae."

It certainly didn't seem to be aggressive to me and I most certainly am not going to find the nest (even if I could) and destroy it. Last year we had a wasp nest right next to the currant bushes in the lawn, I expect most people would call in the exterminators and freak, but we just lived with it, without any problems at all. My five year old now knows all about them, doesn't freak out when something buzzy comes near her and that is something I am proud of.
Also we got a hell of alot of free pest control last year, I wish they were here this year!

I still wouldn't go near one. I remember getting stung by a wasp in my bedroom, it hurts! I hated the chest pain and feeling my heart beat like mad and my whole arm shaking! that was the first time I ever got stung and I hope its the last. So I for one will keep running away like a loony

[brooklynodog]

Are you sure thats a hornet, it looks more like a bee? Hornets are like large wasps with a ginger ruffe.
See here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hornet-vespa.jpg

[brooklynodog]

Picture of a hornet

[rana]

Nice photo 'Dog' and yep, that's definitely a hornet.

[eye1der]

hornets and wasps should be encouraged to your plots,best pest control going in my book. the amounts of greenfly alone they consume is amazing.

[womble]

hornets and wasps should be encouraged to your plots,best pest control going in my book. the amounts of greenfly alone they consume is amazing.

Maybe we are slowly educating people

Dog, that is a great picture! Is that your hand?

[Nicos]

We have hornets here.
Even the locals are very cautious when they fly around ( one of the very few ways I can think of which will stop the locals from nattering)

They describe the sting as if being hit with a baseball bat.

We have almost no wasps here as the hornets destroy their nests.

What I don't like about them is the fact that they fly past- going wherever they intended to go..and then circle back to take a closer look at you

At least they don't fly around the table like wasps do when you're eating outside!!

Apparently they give off distress scent if they are in danger- calling for back ups. Best not to kill them, but leave them be.

[brooklynodog]

Maybe we are slowly educating people

Dog, that is a great picture! Is that your hand?

No its not my hand, I`m not that brave/stupid! Its a picture I found on t`net.

[PaulG]

Solitary Hornets are usually not usually aggresive as long as you do nothing to upset them, when they are in numbers it can be a different situation because it only takes one to become upset and they will all attack.

Was stung many times by wasps as a kid and cannot say they ever bothered me, bees are a different matter though, i picked up a fallen chesnut casing on my way to my paper-round and unknown to me it had spiked a bee on its fall, the bee crawled onto my hand and stung me, within the five minutes it took to get to the shop my hand was like a balloon so i avoid bees wherever possible, but refuse to try and swat or kill them.

[JILLY JACKSON]

John k81,thats a great picture!!One of my daughters is a keen photographer i'll show her that,shes after a decent camera so what do you use?