MONSTER HORNET/WASP!

[Elegost]

Greetings Rangers!
Today I was in my Garden photographing a Dragonfly at 1.30, anyway I suddanly spotted a Massive 2-3 inch Hornet or Wasp, it was hovering like a hoverfly but looked like a wasp, yellow, with black strips, but it was quite plump. Then it went down to my pond, and started flicking it bum on the water, just were a baby frog had been seconds ago.

Now I have to say I a bloody coward and am scared stiff of wasps, so far I have never been stung, so I don't know if I'm ilergic, but hornet sticks can kill if you are apprantly!

I think it is a hornet from what I saw on the internet. Anyway I live in the uK were giant bugs are lacking, has anyone else seen somthing like this, and doing such a thing on a pond. I think it may of been taping the water to attract prey.

Also are there any plants that give of smells that scare this type of thing away, as I never want to see it again:(


Farewell Rangers


-Chris

[kaelln]

Hi Elegost! I can tell you from personal experience that hornet and other wasp stings are extremely painful. What you describe sounds like a hornet. Hornet stings are more painful than other wasp stings, and furthermore, they give off a pheromone that causes the others in their nest to attack. Hornets, unlike bees, do not die after they sting, and they can sting multiple times. They also do not fall for the old trick of shaking them in your hand like bees do. You can hold a bee as long as you keep shaking your hand. Don't try this with any type of wasp! You will be stung!

Most wasps eat insects, and are actually beneficial to humans, as long as you keep a respectful distance. Some yellow jackets (a smaller wasp than the hornet that builds its nest in the ground) can be attracted to human food, but pest insects like mosquitoes and other insects are their main food source. They can go after beneficial honey bees though. The best defence is to just avoid them. They do like to build nests on human structures though, and in my opinion that is too dangerous to allow, especially if a dwelling contains children. The safest way to destroy a nest is to spray it with pesticide formulated for wasps from a safe distance of four or five feet away. You may also have to spray individual wasps to kill them, but keep your distance!

A quick internet search finds that wormwood, eucalyptus, citronella and mint repell wasps. I have no idea how effective they are.

[Dinendir.]

I can say citronella works. WE had wasps on our back porch and when my mother put a few citronella candles out there and lit them, they scattered for me.

I dunno about the others, though.

I have heard that smoke of any kind will also repel most insects, if that's any help.

[Sam]

Hopefully it wasn't anything like this:


This is a giant Asian hornet, and it really shouldn't be in the UK

[Eric C]

No and it shouldn't be in North Carolina either!

[Dinendir.]

Agreed with that. North Carolina is too close to home.

[Elegost]

Thankyou for the replys Rangers! The thing with this "Wasp/Hornet thingie" was it was hovering all the time, like a dragonfly, also now I think about it is almost had two wings like a dragon fly...not that it landed, but they looked the smae way a Df ones do, but the body of that Giant Asian Hornet. But it was a tad smaller, not much but a tad.

I guess the nasty thing could of come across in a ships hull or somthing?

How did they get a pic with the thing on a guys hand?!

-Chris

[Faolan]

Very Carefully?

[Dinendir.]

Maybe he was drugged. >.>

[Faolan]

That would make him a doo bee

[Dinendir.]

[mcapanelli]

Check this out....................

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef004.asp

I believe this is what you may have encountered. There called Cicada killers over here. There nasty suckers but will generally stay out of your way if you stay out of theirs. Apparently there's over 21 species worldwide. Here's a list from Wikipedia.........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphecius

[Elegost]

Thanks mcapanelli, thats definately what it was. Havn't seen it since, so hopfully he's become a juciy snack for a spider.

[Dinendir.]

One can only hope.

Of course, I would hate to see that spider that would eat that one.

[Elegost]

Hadn't throught of that lol!