Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how
they got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked
very slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened
each under foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else
had any dozy hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've
encountered occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

"David in Normandy" wrote in message
. fr...
Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!
Hornets are much more docile than wasps and will only become aggressive if
you get too close to the nests. Only the females have a sting and the ones
that you killed were probably evicted males at this time of year and were
quite harmless. When I was head gardener at Ashton Wold (near Oundle) my
house was on the edge of ancient oak woodland and hornets were around us
throughout the summer. They never bothered us and we never bothered them.
They would come into the house at this time of year (usually on the floor)
and we would scoop them up on a piece of paper and put them outside. Hornets
are becoming rare in Western Europe and becoming endangered in the UK,
indeed, many in the UK have never seen a hornet.

Phil

On 27/08/2010 23:20, Phil Gurr wrote:
"David in wrote in message
. fr...
Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!
Hornets are much more docile than wasps and will only become aggressive if
you get too close to the nests. Only the females have a sting and the ones
that you killed were probably evicted males at this time of year and were
quite harmless. When I was head gardener at Ashton Wold (near Oundle) my
house was on the edge of ancient oak woodland and hornets were around us
throughout the summer. They never bothered us and we never bothered them.
They would come into the house at this time of year (usually on the floor)
and we would scoop them up on a piece of paper and put them outside. Hornets
are becoming rare in Western Europe and becoming endangered in the UK,
indeed, many in the UK have never seen a hornet.

Phil



I'm surprised the French don't shoot them

On 29/08/2010 12:33, stuart noble wrote:
On 27/08/2010 23:20, Phil Gurr wrote:
"David in wrote in message
. fr...
Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the
bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of
how they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each
under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!
Hornets are much more docile than wasps and will only become
aggressive if
you get too close to the nests. Only the females have a sting and the
ones
that you killed were probably evicted males at this time of year and
were
quite harmless. When I was head gardener at Ashton Wold (near Oundle) my
house was on the edge of ancient oak woodland and hornets were around us
throughout the summer. They never bothered us and we never bothered
them.
They would come into the house at this time of year (usually on the
floor)
and we would scoop them up on a piece of paper and put them outside.
Hornets
are becoming rare in Western Europe and becoming endangered in the UK,
indeed, many in the UK have never seen a hornet.

Phil



I'm surprised the French don't shoot them
and eat them with honey or something :-) .

Donwill wrote:
On 29/08/2010 12:33, stuart noble wrote:
On 27/08/2010 23:20, Phil Gurr wrote:
"David in wrote in message
. fr...
Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the
bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of
how they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked
very slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I
flattened each under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any
dozy hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've
encountered occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't
understand! Hornets are much more docile than wasps and will only
become aggressive if
you get too close to the nests. Only the females have a sting and
the ones
that you killed were probably evicted males at this time of year and
were
quite harmless. When I was head gardener at Ashton Wold (near
Oundle) my house was on the edge of ancient oak woodland and
hornets were around us throughout the summer. They never bothered
us and we never bothered them.
They would come into the house at this time of year (usually on the
floor)
and we would scoop them up on a piece of paper and put them outside.
Hornets
are becoming rare in Western Europe and becoming endangered in the
UK, indeed, many in the UK have never seen a hornet.

Phil



I'm surprised the French don't shoot them
and eat them with honey or something :-) .

Apparently these days you're supposed to put them in a sack and beat them to
death with a shovel.

On Fri, 27 Aug 2010, Phil Gurr wrote:

Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!

Sarcasm is not helpful when you feel you might be aggressed. I'm
certainly not going to hang around in the presence of a hornet to see if
your words are true!

Hornets are much more docile than wasps and will only become aggressive if
you get too close to the nests. Only the females have a sting and the ones
that you killed were probably evicted males at this time of year and were
quite harmless.

In France they are considered dangerous enough for the Fire Brigade to
come out free of charge in order to deal with a colony - which happened
to me a few years ago.

Hornets
are becoming rare in Western Europe and becoming endangered in the UK,
indeed, many in the UK have never seen a hornet.

That is certainly not my experience so I wonder if your observations
about their docility is as accurate!

Forgive me being rather more "waspish" than I usually am but I was stung
by a wasp just a few minutes ago - the first time for years - and I
don't react well to them! It was your sarcasm at the beginning that
irritated me. There was no call for it.

David

--
David Rance
writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France

On 29/08/2010 17:18, David Rance wrote:
On Fri, 27 Aug 2010, Phil Gurr wrote:

Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how
they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each
under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!

Sarcasm is not helpful when you feel you might be aggressed. I'm
certainly not going to hang around in the presence of a hornet to see if
your words are true!

Hornets are much more docile than wasps and will only become
aggressive if
you get too close to the nests. Only the females have a sting and the
ones
that you killed were probably evicted males at this time of year and were
quite harmless.

In France they are considered dangerous enough for the Fire Brigade to
come out free of charge in order to deal with a colony - which happened
to me a few years ago.

Hornets
are becoming rare in Western Europe and becoming endangered in the UK,
indeed, many in the UK have never seen a hornet.

That is certainly not my experience so I wonder if your observations
about their docility is as accurate!

Forgive me being rather more "waspish" than I usually am but I was stung
by a wasp just a few minutes ago - the first time for years - and I
don't react well to them! It was your sarcasm at the beginning that
irritated me. There was no call for it.

David


I've since discovered that there is a hornets nest around 6 feet away
from the entrance to the upper part of the property. I'm giving them the
benefit of the doubt at the moment. They haven't attacked anyone or the
dogs yet. The most interest they've shown is a solitary hornet flying
side to side in front of me - sizing me up presumably.

If they keep a truce so will I. Otherwise I'll get the fire brigade in
to exterminate the nest.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On 29/08/2010 17:18, David Rance wrote:
On Fri, 27 Aug 2010, Phil Gurr wrote:

Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how
they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each
under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!

Sarcasm is not helpful when you feel you might be aggressed. I'm
certainly not going to hang around in the presence of a hornet to see if
your words are true!


I must admit, the guy put my back up from the first sentence. Not the
best way to promote his cause; especially since I'm very much an animal
and nature lover... I often catch bumblebees that have found themselves
indoors and escort them outside, similarly with spiders or other strange
beetles that somehow get in occasionally. However, with the reputation
hornets have I was taking no chances. However, having done a little
research on the internet since then, it seems the variety is the common
European Hornet and they are supposedly less aggressive than wasps; and
less aggressive than generally feared.

The are quite fascinating. I watched one land on the bay tree next to
their nest the other day. It was carrying a housefly. It tore its wings
off quite savagely then flew into the nest with it. I gather they eat
lots of houseflies.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010, David in Normandy wrote:

Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how
they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each
under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!

Sarcasm is not helpful when you feel you might be aggressed. I'm
certainly not going to hang around in the presence of a hornet to see if
your words are true!

I must admit, the guy put my back up from the first sentence.

Patronising sarcasm is the best way of putting anyone's back up - but I
expect that's what he was trying to do.

Not the best way to promote his cause; especially since I'm very much
an animal and nature lover... I often catch bumblebees that have found
themselves indoors and escort them outside, similarly with spiders or
other strange beetles that somehow get in occasionally.

Well, me too. The wasp that stung me an hour or so ago was still alive
on the bedroom floor, though rather dozy. I don't expect it will last
long but nevertheless I scooped it up on a piece of card and put it
outside on the bank.

However, with the reputation hornets have I was taking no chances.
However, having done a little research on the internet since then, it
seems the variety is the common European Hornet and they are supposedly
less aggressive than wasps; and less aggressive than generally feared.

Well, the sound they make is reminiscent of a Lancaster bomber and
that's enough to put the frighteners on me! I must say that those I've
encountered may well have been less aggressive than a wasp but when I
got too close they certainly warned me off with buzzing tactics.

The are quite fascinating. I watched one land on the bay tree next to
their nest the other day. It was carrying a housefly. It tore its wings
off quite savagely then flew into the nest with it. I gather they eat
lots of houseflies.

In that case I need to encourage them. From having no houseflies at all
for the first couple of weeks of our stay we've now got a plague of them
and there are always a couple on the keyboard of this computer! Why the
keyboard??

Where *are* the hornets when you need them? All I've got are wasps
eating my grapes!

David

--
David Rance
writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France

On 08/29/2010 06:42 PM, David Rance wrote:
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010, David in Normandy wrote:

Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the
bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how
they
got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked
very
slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened each
under
foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else had any
dozy
hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've encountered
occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Well. bully for you, do you kill everything that you don't understand!

Sarcasm is not helpful when you feel you might be aggressed. I'm
certainly not going to hang around in the presence of a hornet to see if
your words are true!

I must admit, the guy put my back up from the first sentence.

Patronising sarcasm is the best way of putting anyone's back up - but I
expect that's what he was trying to do.


Yes indeed. You were probably right not to respond. Anyway there's no
dearth of hornets here in Normandy.

And they certainly do sting, my daughter has been stung and she's about
as aggressive as a rabbit (not counting Monty Python, mind). On the
more aggressive front, my poor Dad left his window open here with the
light on a few years ago and started stamping them barefoot; he had a
ton of stings on the bottom of his foot! Talk about dozy.

Not the best way to promote his cause; especially since I'm very much
an animal and nature lover... I often catch bumblebees that have found
themselves indoors and escort them outside, similarly with spiders or
other strange beetles that somehow get in occasionally.

Well, me too. The wasp that stung me an hour or so ago was still alive
on the bedroom floor, though rather dozy. I don't expect it will last
long but nevertheless I scooped it up on a piece of card and put it
outside on the bank.


Your wasp is probably over here now eating my peaches with his mates.

Anyway I suspect most gardeners are apt to put the beastie back rather
than swatting. I've spent the afternoon on the tractor swerving around
field mice; which doesn't stop me from congratulating the cat when she
brings them to the door.

However, with the reputation hornets have I was taking no chances.
However, having done a little research on the internet since then, it
seems the variety is the common European Hornet and they are
supposedly less aggressive than wasps; and less aggressive than
generally feared.

Well, the sound they make is reminiscent of a Lancaster bomber and
that's enough to put the frighteners on me! I must say that those I've
encountered may well have been less aggressive than a wasp but when I
got too close they certainly warned me off with buzzing tactics.


They're quite easy to shew out if they've come in through a window and
haven't spent too much time indoors. They seem to remember the most
recently traversed path quite well.

BTW, as recently seen on TV, the Calvados is now the only department in
Normandy that still destroys the nests for free. Here in the Orne you
have to pay a private contractor now, it's about 60 EU. We had a
positively enormous nest in the attic a few years back (no doubt
corresponding to my old Dad's encounter) that needed to go.

-E

On 29/08/2010 19:02, Emery Davis wrote:
Anyway I suspect most gardeners are apt to put the beastie back rather
than swatting. I've spent the afternoon on the tractor swerving around
field mice; which doesn't stop me from congratulating the cat when she
brings them to the door.


I'm the same with the self-propelled lawn mower. Frequent emergency
stops as a frog or toad suddenly makes it presence known directly in
front of the mower! I scoop them up in my hands and put them into the
vegetable garden. They don't even hop away after relocating them, they
just sit there looking at me indignantly for daring to move them!

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On 29/08/2010 18:42, David Rance wrote:

Well, the sound they make is reminiscent of a Lancaster bomber and
that's enough to put the frighteners on me! I must say that those I've
encountered may well have been less aggressive than a wasp but when I
got too close they certainly warned me off with buzzing tactics.

I wonder if that is what that hornet was doing that flew side to side in
front of me? Like it was trying to herd me! I wonder what the best
strategy is in such an encounter? Possibly just to walk slowly away from
the hornet - which is what I did.

I was attacked by a swarm of wasps when I was a small child and since
then have a dread of them. These hornet males look damned intimidating
due to their size - like gigantic wasps. Is their sting worse than a wasp?

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010, David in Normandy wrote:

I was attacked by a swarm of wasps when I was a small child and since
then have a dread of them. These hornet males look damned intimidating
due to their size - like gigantic wasps. Is their sting worse than a
wasp?

So I've been led to believe. I've heard stories of old people dying from
hornet stings but they may well be old wives' tales or, at the very
least, concerned people who had weak hearts in the first place.

David

--
David Rance
writing from Le Mesnil Villement, Calvados, France

David in Normandy wrote:
Over the last three days I've found three hornets, once in the bathroom,
then in the living room then one upstairs. Besides the mystery of how
they got into the house I'm puzzled by why all three hornet just walked
very slowly along the floor and seemed almost in a daze. I flattened
each under foot without them even attempting to fly away. Anyone else
had any dozy hornets? Why are they behaving like that? The ones I've
encountered occasionally outside seem anything but docile.

Hornets are a protected species, I think.

You had young queens, looking for somewhere to hibernate.

If I find them, I let them climb onto my hand and then I take them into
one of my sheds, where they will find some nice place to hibernate.

Note - hornets are a lot less aggressive than wopses, and IMO should be
encouraged.

--
Rusty

stuart noble wrote:

I'm surprised the French don't shoot them

I had a big giggle at that...

--
Rusty