Hornets in my bird box :)

[paltandsepper]

I'd never as much as seen one before. Let alone heard one, they're so loud! And their buzz is very very low, I can't think how to describe it. When I first heard one fly past my window I actually thought someone was using a power tool nearby.

Well Mummy hornet flew into my kitchen a few weeks ago (my god she was huge!). I closed the door to the rest of the house, opened the outside doors and left her to it and she was soon gone (thankfully did not decide to nest in my kitchen).

Then a day or so later I saw her crawling into my bird box. Fast forward a few weeks and there's a few of them appearing, they keep coming into my conservatory of an evening. Fascinating creatures and I can see their nest in the hole of the bird box, just looks like a wasps nest really, cylindrical, paper-mache-like.

I do have a question, will I disturb them if I use my compost heap, which is directly underneath the box? I don't believe I will, I am not tall enough to be in their flight path to and fro, there's roughly 2-3 feet (I think!) between the lid of the compost bin and the bird box.

How cool! I love hornets. They barely seem real when you hear them!

I don't think you'll disturb them. Unless you accidentally hit the bird box with the compost lid or anything

I do love the sound they make, I agree, surreal! They're common supposedly but I hadn't ever seen one. I feel quite privileged that she chose my birdbox to raise her babies.

I don't know if I've ever seen a hornet OP!

What I get every year is a wasps nest in one of my bird boxes. The wasps just absolutely love the cotoneaster that ive got growing up a section of the fence near the bottom of my garden. They buzz happily around there. I''ve never had any bother with them but if I have to do any garden maintenance under the bird box when they are in residence I usually wait until evening to do it.

Hope they're not Asian hornets!

I've got bumbles in one of mine. They keep returning most years too.

I am 44 and this is my first encounter!

I won't even dare do this, because hornets remain active well into the evening! Luckily, that corner of the garden is mostly flagged and just houses the compost heap and a few wild poppies etc that the bees love, but do not need much maintenance!

They're European ones.

(I heard them talking earlier)

This is interesting, do they not usually nest in the ground? I am going to have to look that up.

We had loads a few years back.
Their stings are savage.

Urgh I hate hornets, like wasps on steroids.

I’ve never seen any hornets in my life, thankfully. I’m terrified of wasps, especially since having had a really bad sting 11 years ago (my leg was swollen for 2 weeks). So I hate the mere idea of hornets, as I understand they’re worse. Sorry!

I’ve had a phobia of wasps all my life and my terror of hornets is even worse. Their loud buzzing is so sinister and they are attracted to lights at night too. One year I had dozens of the buggers hurling themselves at my bedroom window and then crawling up the glass. It was like something out of a horror movie.

Call an exterminator.

We had a type of wasp in ours last year, drove out the great tits. Nothing disturbed them

We had a type of wasp in ours last year, drove out the great tits. Nothing disturbed them

We had a type of wasp in ours last year, drove out the great tits. Nothing disturbed them

So they re European hornets, as you didn't mention them being the invasive Asian variety.
You can have them removed if they are too much for you ( quite possibly) , but if they're a native species, I d suggest you don't get the nest destroyed.
Instead there are passionate people who will remove the nest intact and relocate it still alive away from where people live.

Were you stung by one? I imagine it is like a wasp but a lot worse given the amount of venom?!

I will absolutely not be removing them. more than enough room for them and I am glad she's chosen my garden!

They're an essential part of the animal kingdom and we need them, as far as I am concerned.

I am not a fan of wasps myself. I will let bees crawl all over me, pick them up, I rehabilitate them if they're tired (just let one go after 10 days!) but wasps (and by addition hornets) I am not going to get close to. I agree the buzzing sound does sound frightening but I put that down to my just not being used to it.

I have had some come into my conservatory at night while I've been sitting having a glass of wine, and to be fair, they seem quite dopey and weren't particularly interested in me, so it was fine.

My teenage daughter was stung by one. She's had wasp stings too and said this was by far the most painful - and I remember it lasting much longer than wasp sting pain. Although nothing beats the pain of a weever fish sting (she's been very unlucky over the years!)

I was stung by a jellyfish in the Mediterranean when I was 15, that was the worst experience for me, worse than the wasp sting. But it’s rather easy to avoid that happening! 🤣

We get lots of hornets. They are quite dopey. They are attracted to light and I often hear them headbutting the doors of an evening so keep your lights off if your windows are open. They aren't anywhere near as aggressive as wasps, I've picked them up and moved them with a bit of card. Wasps are like aggressive little dogs, ways after a fight. Luckily never experienced their sting but I'm sure it wouldn't be nice.

Your thread title sounds like a euphemism, OP

I would be afraid of them if they were in my garden nesting . Friend and I went out one evening and were quietly sitting under an old ruined church . I noticed a few hornets taking note of us , suggested we quietly move on as above us were hundreds hovering . We moved away slowly as the scouts followed us away from the area . Frightening experience