THEY are annoying.
It does work mrs fix it. Keep on with it and we'll naill these critters
Being cheeky - saw this home made remedy on FB and copied it:
We have set traps around our land which are trapping frelons and wasps, it's working really well. Get a lemonade bottle (or similar), cut off the top third, then sit the top bit upside down in the bottom bit (without the lid). This creates a way in but not a way out! Put a liquid mix in the bottom which is half and half syrop de grenadine and really strong lager - about 2-3 inches in depth. Attach some string and hang from a tree. Keep an eye on it though, if it rains, you don't want the liquid rising too high so they can get out. We empty and re-set them about every month. It's worked a treat for us.... we have them set in the gardens of our gites. When we first set them we had lots of frelons about, but they are less and less now - although the wasps are making an appearance due to the rippened plumbs. Good luck, if it's not clear, let me know - hope I've explained it ok.
Yes Ben, local people have said that to me about natives versus Asians. There was a hornet swarm in the trees all round us one night in the spring. No harm at all, not bees, not dogs and not us. They were gone in the morning.
Good idea the magnifying glass. I knew heat takes away the effect of the venom but had always been told to use matches or a cigarette lighter. Thanks to yourself Ben and Brian for the informed answers.
The bee-keeper from the local agricultural school actually encourages native hornets to install their nests in the proximity of his bee-hives. Unlike their Asian cousins the native ones do not destroy beehives. Sure they will dive on a bee passing by and take it off to their nest but they will not raid a bee-hive. In fact their behavior is extremely territorial so if a or some asian hornets will enter their territory they'll be attacked and killed of. So he uses them as an very effective anti-hornets squad. He picked this up from his German colleagues and has been doing this for some years now. Apparently he lost about 30% of is hives in the 2 years when he wasn't able to attract a queen/colony in the vicinity of his hives and practically none when he did succeed.
Native hornets are impressive, but not at all that aggressive. With them it's like with bees and wasps: don't panic, don't move abruptly and you'll be ok. Asian hornets are simply mean, extremely bad tempered little buggers. The visual difference between them is easy, the local ones look like giant wasps and have about the same yellow coloring; the asian ones are only slightly bigger than a normal wasp but of a brown/orange color, to be killed if possible.
Been stung over time by a local hornet (in the arm, hurts like hell, lots of swelling but most of it gone after a day) and an asian one (stepped on it, hurts with a strong burning sensation and equal swelling from heel up to the knee, took some days to get rid of it). Since then I have a small magnifying glass available in the house. Concentrating the rays of the sun on your skin where you were stung destroys a large part the venom injected by heating it up, provided you're able to do this pretty soon after you've been stung. Worked like a charm when my daughter got stung by a wasp.
Oh yes, wasps are crawlers and find a way in if they can. Hornets, not sure how less aggressive but to be avoided.
That's good news about your bees fighting back. They are nasty fellows those frélons, but I seem to be more calm around frélons than I am around wasps.
So they don't release something, they see what isd happening and react to that then. Very interesting.
We had a hornet nest in an old chimney conduit and this was at the time when the fire brigade would still remove them for you. The fireman told us he'd much prefer to remove a hornet nest than a wasp nest as the hornets are much less aggressive than the wasps. He reckoned the wasps would always try and find a way into your protective clothing.
Hi Nick, started this one once before and accidentally closed it. So here goes again. I keep bees so Frélon Asiatique is a nasty enemy. I have been stung by the buggers and it is painful. I thought that because I have had so many bees stings I have a degree of immunity - swelling for a couple of hours instead of days - that these creatures would be nothing. In fact wasps and hornets use their stings for hunting prey, being meat eaters, unlike bees who only use them defensively. However, all of them react to rapid movements and things like flapping of arms and swatting which are attacks to them. Best keep calm and let them go away. If you kill one then rest assured they are not entirely alone and another/others sill see your attack and get others.
If they do sting they get away without losing the sting because it is not barbed like bees. So they may well fly off, signal to a few nest mates and come back in force to have a go. It is not so much danger signals as being a social species they simply collect a few mates to come out in force. The one you 'attacked' knows your smell and possibly 'recognises' you as well. So you'll get a number of them turning up to have round two. It also depends how close the nest is. If it is within a kilometre of two the Frélon Asiatique will be back in a few minutes. For that reason, when they show up to prey on my bees I have given up trying to get them because they return, have a go at me and then being in larger numbers I lose more bees. Anyway, all hornets and wasps are very similar and a little more nervous than bees. Wasp stings are not that bad, I have never been stung by a regular hornet but the big ones several times. What to worry about is the small chance of anaphylatic shock which makes people ill and occasionally kills.
There are effective chemical deterents for indoors and place like patios. If there is a breeze or stronger don't rely on the outdoor ones though. Some things you use in a burner such as some but not all types of incense work too. Sprays are best used well away from human habitation unless you have a nest in the roof or something of that ilk. I do that, but then I have beekeeping clothes to protect me, especially my face and neck where stings are nasty. If you see nests nearby then get somebody to get rid of them or else you'll probably regret your own attempt. As for possible myths like lots of smoke under the nest, they don't actually tend to evacuate but perish when there are fires so do not bother.
Hope that helps. My bees seem to have wored out how to mob each one and kill them so I don't need to get near the horrors myself.