Hornets...

[Prince of Durham]

Hi everyone,

Just had a shock at my plot today, a Hornet flew in my face and then landed on my gate. Tried to get a picture but it flew off.

The shock came seeing a one in April (first half of) and in Co Durham. I know they live in the south east and are seen a little further north, but Co Durham?!?!?!

Anyone else see them this far north?

PoD

[Two_Sheds]

Sure it was an actual hornet, and not a hornet-mimic hoverfly?
We get them on buddleja here

[lizzylemon]

I was going to ask if it was a hornet and not a Queen wasp. Queen wasps are MASSIVE and currently leaving nests to colonise a new one.
This is a picture of a hornet Google Image Result for http://www.dartmoorpestcontrol.co.uk/images/hornet.jpg?416

And this one is the Queenie
Google Image Result for http://theora.com/images/Queen%20Wasp.jpg

[Nicos]

The easiest way to tell them apart is that the noise a hornet makes is very deep- where as a wasp is higher pitched.
Generally if you disturb a hornet it'll fly around in a big circle to suss out what's going on.
When in doubt- stand very, very still and they'll go about their business...you do not want a hornet sting

[wellie]

Prince of Durham, I saw my first Hornet of 2011 just this afternoon in The Funny Farm Potager. We had loads of them last Summer, and because we've got quite a few 'ornamental wooden ladders' adorning the trees (my man is a painter'n'decorator/it helps harvest the tree fruits/our cat adores him/ladders?) and the Hornets last year 'feasted' very greedily on the wood, taking massive chunks out - hopefully not from the rungs, eh?!

Same as last year with the bees that decided to come live in the masonary of The Funny Farmhouse. They're back again this year, pollinating and feeding on everything I've got growing in the Potager.... Ain't Life Rich?

[Nicos]

Yesterday my OH managed to get rid of a hornet from our bedroom- it was trying to start a nest

We had the same thing last year and it managed to make about 10 small (pea-sized) attachments on the ceiling from which to build the nest....in almost exactly the same location

[Headfry]

We saw a huge hornet on Sunday...could have been a queen? we saw many scraping wood from our bat box later in the day - they were somewhat smaller.... cant say I am that keen to meet the family!!!!!