Hornets

[chatsworth]

We are inundated with the horrible things no doubt attracted by the pool due to the heat.
We do not have a pool cover and the villa is surrouned by trees and fields and we cannot locate the nest.
Any ideas to get rid of them since a private pest control company would charge quite a lot plus if the nest is high up in the trees there is no access for a cherry picker.
We are unable to use the pool and our rescue pointer keeps chasing them and she is bound to get stung eventually.

[DavidatLWH]

Are you sure they're not hornet-mimic hoverflies? They are more common here and are harmless. It's very, very hard to tell the difference between the two using the naked eye.

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife ... c-hoverfly

[Uncle D]

We just ignore them, even if they come into the house they usually go out again.

[71 Trans Am]

This was covered on here three years ago - But be absolutely certain what you are dealing with before you bash them

viewtopic.php?t=2995

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/57694 ... -arrive-UK

We were warned about this in the uk three weeks ago -

https://www.bbka.org.uk/Event/asian-hor ... gIX7vD_BwE

[kingsdale]

The hornets we usually see are the oriental hornet, not the Asian one. Oriental hornets usually nest in the ground, so you can sometimes see them going into a hole in a bank or under a stone in a ruined wall. The pest removal companies (in my experience) aren't interested unless you can show them the nest.

[chatsworth]

Thanks for your ideas and thoughts

[bromerzz]

The sting from some of the Hornet species - Yellowjacket, B52 or whatever you call them, can be excruciatingly painful and require hospital treatment. The buggers respond to being swatted and if their mates arrive then you can be in trouble.
I know someone who had a severe reaction to multiple stings on his legs having walked over a ground nesting site near a water sprinkler.
All Gods creatures don't have a place in everyone's Choir.

[trevnhil]

We certainly have hornets and quite a lot of them .. They seem to like buzzing around me when I am watering the plants, although I do have water out for them.. We have had them during Summer for a few years, but they have never been a problem.. They just do not do me any harm, but there again I am not waving my arms around swotting them ..

[PolemIan]

Geoff,

We had the same problem a couple of years ago when I lost count one day at about 80 hovering around the pool. We got, via Amazon at the time, 2 Waspinators, which are fake nests. They left within hours of putting them up. They are in Paphos Home Market these days for a couple of quid more than Amazon, but in our case did work. I now put these up in early summer and then take them down at the end of summer.

Ian

[chatsworth]

Thanks for that Ian , will give them a go.