10287 Dealing with a nest of hornets

Sorry to disagree but why is it so important to destroy hornets nests?

I noticed a few feet from my hammock hornets landing on an olive tree then making their way into a crevice presumably this was the nest? I was never disturbed by the hornets and once I forgot they were there and cut some grass right by them!They nested the previous year in an old hornbeam again with no trouble to us.

Deaths occur from allergic reactions to stings and the average person is not going to die from a hornet sting! Bees will also kill these sensitive people but as the number of honey bees has now gone into a critical decline it would be crazy to kill these too.

And what sort of damage to the fire service do when they destroy the nests?:no:

Perhaps because you never know how badly you're going to react to a hornet sting until you actually get stung? A friend of ours spent the night in hospital on a drip recently after being stung by a hornet. He was just closing a gate when something flew down his shirt and got stuck. I don't think they're particularly aggressive, but they do pack a nasty sting, and I would personally prefer them to nest a good flying distance from me rather than up my chimney.

For what it's worth, hornets are considered pretty dangerous creatures round here. Second only to you know what...

[quote=myabruzzohome;95642]Sorry to disagree but why is it so important to destroy hornets nests?[/quote]

Well said! I nurture wasps, because they eat aphids, and I scoop-up scorpions from the floors of our house and take them outside.

In this instance though, the hornets were nesting in the chimney of a holiday rental house. The risks for guests with children outweighed the hornets' welfare. I was sorry to see them suffer though.

[quote=myabruzzohome;95642]Sorry to disagree but why is it so important to destroy hornets nests?

I noticed a few feet from my hammock hornets landing on an olive tree then making their way into a crevice presumably this was the nest? I was never disturbed by the hornets and once I forgot they were there and cut some grass right by them!They nested the previous year in an old hornbeam again with no trouble to us.

Deaths occur from allergic reactions to stings and the average person is not going to die from a hornet sting! Bees will also kill these sensitive people but as the number of honey bees has now gone into a critical decline it would be crazy to kill these too.

And what sort of damage to the fire service do when they destroy the nests?:no:[/quote]

Whilst I admire your eco-friendly credentials, what if a hornet from the nest in your tree should sting and kill a neighbour’s child?

It is a bit like saying ‘I have a rabid dog but I won't have it put down because it has never bitten me’.

There must be plenty of hornet’s nests well away from human habitation, which are not considered a danger and left alone, so the species is not threatened.

I can see that it tricky and if its a property you are renting out much more so.but I did warn my neighbours kids who like to play in our garden that they were playing next to a hornets nest and they weren't that bothered!

We have 'put up' with 2 resident dormice for 3 years who have nested in a cooker and IKea netting bag for shoes,using it like a hamock.We are finally getting a portion of our wall rebuilt so their entry point will be sealed up!I think i'll quite miss them.

I just get the impression that some people are a bit hysterical when it comes to Italian wildlife and I suppose i'm on a one woman mission to protect all the creepy crawlies no-one seems to like!

from google search

Alarm escalation
Hornets, like many social wasps, can mobilize the entire nest to sting in defense: this is highly dangerous to humans. The hornet alarm pheromone is used to raise alarm of nest attack, and to identify prey, for example bees [7]. It is not advisable to kill a hornet anywhere near a nest, as the distress signal can trigger the entire nest to attack. Materials that come in contact with pheromone, such as clothes, skin, dead prey or hornets, must be removed from the vicinity of the hornets nest. Perfumes, and other volatile chemicals can be falsely identified as pheromone by the hornets and trigger attack.

[edit] Actions to avoid
Disturbing a nest (including vibrations and loud noises)
Being within a few meters of a nest
Disturbing or killing a hornet within a few meters of a nest
Blocking the path of a hornet
Breathing on the nest or hornet
Rapid air movements

My village had 800 people now it has 799, I think you take this to extremes, it is not about hysteria, I have been a member of Greenpeace for many years, this is not a platform for pro/anti hornets, it is about being careful and repectful of their habitat, and if that infringes on vunerable people to take responsible action.
A

Resident dormice? Are you sure you're not fattening them up for the pot? :bigergrin:

Sorry A and R I read your post on another thread and see that you lost a friend which must be very sad for you.

Thats OK, and watch out for those dormice, they can give you a nasty nibble!, wish we had dormice but expect with the cats they would not set up home with us!
A

In case anyone is under the impression that these dormice are invited guests they are not! They just seem to act like they did before we started working on the house.If the noise gets a bit loud they go and hide in the chimney!Otherwise they wont shift!

They bring in quanties of messy fruit and bay leaves too!

One did run up my arm ( long story) but I didn't get a bite!

Ahhhhhh....pause for isnt that sweet, and what a lovely tail!.
A

But they do look lovely!!! I think I would put up with a little bit of mess to have these around. They remind me of the Australian possums. Gorgeous!

[quote=Gala Placidia;95720]But they do look lovely!!! I think I would put up with a little bit of mess to have these around. They remind me of the Australian possums. Gorgeous![/quote]
Well I don't know if the ones we had were dormice or field mice, but they managed to do a lot of damage. Firstly they ate a lot of Russian papers and letters from a relative of the wife about the Crimean war and the revolution. He was a bodyguard to the Tsar at the time of those events. Next they decided that the sound insulation under the bonnet of the car was a good place to nest, so virtually destroyed that as well. They also love eating insulation on cables, either car or house. Friends had mice that decided to nest in the air filter of the car, resulting in an expensive garage bill.
Sweet yes, until you see what damage they can do.

You are right... then they become terrible little monsters. What a pity the loss of the documents!

[quote=English teacher;95645]Perhaps because you never know how badly you're going to react to a hornet sting until you actually get stung? A friend of ours spent the night in hospital on a drip recently after being stung by a hornet.
For what it's worth, hornets are considered pretty dangerous creatures round here. Second only to you know what...[/quote]

Exactly - I am one of the non-average people who is severely allergic to wasps ( though not bees) and carry an apipen at all times. I'm also an animal lover and cannot abide cruelty, but I draw the line at wasps - please don't ask me to feel sorry for destroying them or their nests. In my experience they don't do anything useful, unlike the rest of the insect kingdom. I'm not sure how I would react to a hornet sting and hope I never find out.

[quote=Gala Placidia;95734]You are right... then they become terrible little monsters. What a pity the loss of the documents![/quote]
It was Gala as we were thinking of having a lot translated from the Russian, as they were of historical interest. Luckily the original signed photograph of the Tsar was not in with the others. Glad also, the portfolio of my wifes modelling and F1 involvement were not touched as they are in a tightly zipped leather case.

[quote=Romano;95735]... I draw the line at wasps - please don't ask me to feel sorry for destroying them or their nests. In my experience they don't do anything useful, like the rest of the insect kingdom.[/quote]
Sorry, but wasps are very useful creatures if you grow things. Early in the year, they're voracious predators and remove a lot of pest insects from the garden in order to feed their young.

They only become a nuisance at around this time of year when the females which will overwinter and start next year's colonies have been produced. While there were larval stage wasps in the nest, the workers who were collecting food for them received a reward of a sweet excretion from the young when they handed over a nice grub or caterpillar. Now that this year's reproduction cycle is coming to a close, there are no more grubs and no more sweets for the workers. So they're unemployed, missing their sticky treats and thus become a pest for us humans when they smell something sweet.

I imagine that hornets, being basically beefed-up wasps, will have roughly the same life-cycle, but I've never had problems with them actively seeking out sweet stuff. They zoom around in a most alarming way and it's disconcerting when one starts battering at the window screens after dark, but I've always felt they really weren't at all interested in people.

Still, I do understand why people take drastic action if they find a nest near their home.

Al

I don't know if anyone else has noticed it, but we are experiencing far more wasps and hornets than usual this year. To balance it, I suppose, we are having very much fewer mosquitoes, so maybe there is a balance there somewhere.

Anyway, we have a fig tree - black figs in fact - just by our terrace and it just hasn't been possible to pick them due to the sheer number of wasps and hornets. I haven't found the hornets nest anywhere, nor have I spotted where they scarper (sorry, but I enjoy the use of scarpare) to yet. But, really, there are over 15 hornets on the tree at the moment (I looked and counted), so ... no black figs this year for us. In fact, even the starlings, who usually finish off the figs in the higher branches, have not braved the hornets this years, so it's all a bit of a casino... porco cane...

[quote=AllanMason;95766]Sorry, but wasps are very useful creatures if you grow things. Early in the year, they're voracious predators and remove a lot of pest insects from the garden in order to feed their young.Al[/quote]

Not in my garden! Sorry, but IMHO, they are the biggest and most evil pest, but maybe I'm just paranoid, because I know the effect they have on me.

Romano I am not a religious person I just think that whoever designed our planet was a lot more clever than you or I so I prefer to give them the benifit of the doubt when it comes to deciding what creatures are 'needed' or not.

When we start decidining it all seems to go horribly wrong .Anyone else notice this????

Nardini: I've also noticed a lot more wasps and hornets this year. Wasps are always attracted to the fig tree, but we've also got hornets in the plum trees. Unfortunately no trade off with the mozzies, who have been as active as ever. Actually, you may be right: earlier on in the summer we had loads of them, but have far fewer now.

Interesting how regions differ, we have had lots of bees, but hardly any wasps or hornets (although we believe the woodpecker earlier this year ate the hornet lava). Have had lots of mozzies though and those nasty little black fly things which have a powerful bite for their size.
A

At 627 metres mozzi's are not a problem but opening a rarely used bedroom window yesterday, I unintentionally awoke 2 dozy little bats. Are they also protected in italy? This was the very same window were between inside and outside shutters, I once found that beautiful rotund, cricket ball sized coffee and cream coloured hornets nest, that I gave a quick, effective bash....now having read all the advice I am alarmed at my foolishness but guests had to sleep in that room! Was my cricket ball made by Signora Calibrone a typical nest? Anyone seen a hornets nest dare i ask?

As someone else who is very badly allergic to wasp stings, and I shudder to think about the possibility of hornet stings, I suspect it may interest similarly affected people to know how we massively reduce our local population.

Carrefour (in France at least, don't know about Italy) sell a dedicated wasp trap which is a clear plastic bowl with a similar-shaped clear dome on top. The bowl has a hole in the bottom through which the wasps enter, and this hole has raised edges allowing the bowl to retain liquid in a circle around the hole.

The recommended liquid (and it works a treat) is red wine with added sugar dissolved in it. Wasps and hornets enter to feed on the wine, and cannot then leave. We have the trap hanging in an olive tree next to the house, and we catch so many that there are no longer any nests nearby (before we discovered these traps a few years ago, I regularly had to deal with nests).

The one disadvantage (to me) of the traps is that some butterflies (but not bees) are also interested. A couple of strips of duct tape across the hole does at least prevent larger butterflies such as swallowtails getting caught. You also have to empty out the corpses and refill with wine regularly.