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.

That does sound frightening! Were you perhaps very close to the nest?

I don't like the sound of that! As I've said I have had a few of the juveniles come into my conservatory of an evening. I go to bed early most nights though and don't have the issue of lights on in the dark sort of thing.

I've seen people picking them up on videos. They do seem fairly dopey, but also seem quite intelligent compared to a lot of flying insects. As in they seem to know where they're going and know when you're trying to help them get out.

Oh god, it does!

We have them regularly, personal experience is that they are not as aggressive as wasps and a lot easier to catch with the cup and card method when they come in the house. I wouldn’t want to get in the flight line of a nest though. I don’t know anyone who’s been stung by one but I imagine it would be pretty spicy.

Don’t encourage them, they are vicious buggers too. I’d get pest control out to dispatch them. We have lots of bees nests and we live and let live with them but wasp and hornet nests are exterminated when we come upon them.

Nope nope nope 👎🏻

Yes, a friend of mine showed me his bird box with loads of bumbles coming and going. Like PPs I always thought they were solitaire, so you learn something new every day.

Solitaire bees!
No, I know what you meant. You do get solitary bees but as far as I know all bumblebees build communal hives other than the parasitic ones. I had a buff-tail nest under my shed at my old house, loved watching them.

I wouldn't ever get rid of any wildlife in my garden! The exception would be if they really were a risk/proper nuisance e.g. if the nest was right outside my only access to the house or such. Hornets are essential for pest control, pollination etc (and they feed some mammals and birds, being a larger insect).

Hornets are surprisingly peaceful unlike wasps who are nasty, little jerks. I remember some acquaintances who had a hornet's nest for months without being bothered by them. However, one day the hornet's nest was disturbed by a handyman and then all havoc broke loose. Handyman was hospitalised for days because of multiple stings and the mum got a nasty infection from her one sting. After that the hornets continued going back to the peaceful creatures they were and didn't bother anyone again. I remember my acquaintance feeling really bad about removing the nest but they had vulnerable and mobility impaired elderly people living with them.

I'd get advice to be honest from an expert. If you do disturb them hornet stings can get quite nasty especially as they get infected easily.

No advice but your thread title wins the internet today 😂

I think it's mainly the size of the stinger and the fact that it's full of bacteria (I forget why) so hornet stings tend to get infected very easily.

I don't think it can be disturbed unless I actively decide to, I wouldn't let anyone else go near it either. If I hadn't have happened to have looked when Mum hornet was going in, and then kept an eye afterwards, I wouldn't have known it was there. I know MN loves a diagram!

Just done a quick google and the bacteria thing appears to be a well-cemented myth

I had bumbles nesting in my polytunnel last year. The nest was tiny, and they made it between layers of coir matting under a table.

I love that you are not getting rid of them. I think they are amazing but they can get nasty in autumn like wasps do. Hornets are meant to be great at garden insect pest control!!

Hornets can get really quite aggressive when they feel like it. I've been chased by a very cross one before, and had to run about 50 yards before it gave up.

I have bumble bees under my shed. No trouble at all.

We have absolutely loads (France) they are, um, relatively docile unless stressed, or trapped or happen to be on your laundry when you get in off the line for example.....But, Dear Reader, the father of a friend of mine was stung on the temple & died I imagine he was allergic, & SO AM I, & both my DC !
There were also two men who were stung by asian hornets here last summer (they attack) & died.
So Good Luck enjoying them, personally I would get the hornet man in to deal with them asap

Well why was it very cross, what had you done to it? I think we need this information before we know if YWBU or not

I am very much a nature lover

I am going to look further into them but I assume that (like wasps) the hives just chuck out and stop collectively gathering food at the end of summer, hence wasps being more aggressive as they're starving?

I remember once walking down a path, a narrow wooded path and went dangerously close to tonnes of wasps all devouring berries on a bush. Luckily I'd almost got past before I noticed them, or I'd have gone nowhere near that bush, even if it meant turning back!

Oh no, that's very sad. I understand why you'd want rid if you are allergic.

I was minding my own business but had the unfortunate temerity to be in its way as it flew along. It went straight for me like an Apache helicopter in miniature.

😆That would have scared me too!

I will be certain to respect their boundaries, but you can't always know when you'll happen upon their route home at the wrong time I suppose!

I’m so immature I’ve just come in to say ‘oooh that sounds painful’ 😂