Wordless Wednesday: Hornet

/ David Marsden

 

Hornet (3)

Hornet (1)

Hornet (2)

European hornet (Vespa crabro)

18 thoughts on “Wordless Wednesday: Hornet”

  3. Such good photos. I have been told by two people independently in the last few weeks that hornets aren’t as aggressive as they appear and are less aggressive than bees and wasps, not sure how true that is

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    • Hi Helen, thanks. That is my experience too. I quite regularly get stung by wasps and only by a bee when I kept a hive and had a particularly nasty queen who also made the whole colony aggressive. I haven’t (yet) been stung by a hornet though. Dave

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  4. Last week ,in the sunshine , the sedums and asters were covered with bees .the sound of humming was amazing . Until the arrival of a hornet . I watched helplessly as it killed one after another , apart from the bumble bees . Had no idea they did this .very sad !

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    • I didn’t know that either, Stella. I’ve heard of the Asian hornet which is a real problem with bee keepers on the continent but, I don’t think, has reached the UK yet. I’ve never seen a hornet take a honey bee but perhaps it is just a matter of time. We have plenty of both in the garden. Dave

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  5. It is rather a wet hornet by the looks of it! I got some good pictures, too, of a hornet recently, but mine was half dead having been shut in a house for a week while the owners were away. Yours looks altogether more alive and dangerous!

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    • Hi Annette, the hornet had been out overnight which is why it is covered with dew. She was cold and not very dangerous really and recovered later. They nested in the grounds last year and I’m sure have done so again this year but I haven’t seen where. Dave

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        • Actually Annette, I don’t find them particularly aggressive. They were far more laid back (?!) about me photographing their nest last year than wasps have been. I tend to be more careful around wasps than hornets. I wouldn’t want to inadvertently stand on a hornet nest of course or (as I did as a boy to a wasp’s nest) poke a stick into its entrance. That would be just silly (and I still can’t believe I did that. And yep, I got stung … lots). As for the antihistamine – no, I don’t. Perhaps, I should have some to hand but it isn’t anything I’ve ever taken. D

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          • That is interesting, David. Sorry, I had to laugh about you actually poking a wasps nest with a stick. It clearly didn’t leave you with any phobias of flying things. Antihistamine is really useful. I always take some cream with me when out walking, as you never know what is going to sting you. The tablets are probably even better. Someone gave my husband one after something stung his lip and it was really swelling. It went right down very quickly.

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    • I’ve never been stung by hornet, Janet … yet. I get stung by wasps every year but despite having hornet nests in the garden too I’m less wary of them than the former. When I do get stung by a hornet, that might change! D

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    • I find that hornets are calmer than wasps, Christina and, in my experience, less inclined to sting. I photographed a hornet nest in the garden last year and they were less concerned about my presence than when I have poked my lens near a wasp nest. Besides, this particular hornet had been out all night (hence the dew on its body) so she was very groggy. She recovered though. Dave

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