Common wasps don't swarm.
When swarming, honeybees are no threat at all. They have no brood to protect, they're full of honey so can't bend their abdomens to sting, all they're doing is looking for a new home.
Mary
OK, makes sense
I looked up hornets in a few places and it was suggested that they have some form of collective defence. Someone earlier in this thread mentioned pheromones in this regard. If one decides it is being attacked, it can summon up others quite quickly if the nest is in the vicinity, and this seems to be why some people have been attacked by large groups of hornets.
No - never happened ot me. And I want it to remain that way.
Who has been thus attacked?
I'd stake my life on it.
Mary
Unfortunately, I cannot get the full article:
"Up to 74 people die each year in Japan after being stung by Hymenopteran insects, with hornets (Vespa spp.) being among the worst offenders."
Apparently some Japanese like hornet sushi - and so go looking for nests. But don't have any idea if that was a factor in any of the 74 reported.
And:
Do you live in Japan? Or India?
In Europe we don't have the same wasps or hornets, or even bees.
If you looked further into the matter you would be better informed.
Mary
I posted at the start to ask. I got some information and some misinformation - and looked further. I found some events of interest - and, without knowing much about hornets, I have to conclude that nasty events are possible.
In trying to locate interesting and verified stories, I consulted PubMed (rather than random blogs entries or usenet posts) and came up with a couple, albeit located in foreign parts.
Looking closer to home, the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust even has a special code for
02004 Swarming attack (bee, wasp, hornet)in their document "POLICY FOR COMMUNITY FIRST RESPONDERS".
Of course, if might never have been used. It might be nonsense. But someone obviously considered it a possibility.
I am indeed trying to get better informed. Which is why I asked in the first place. And I certainly don't know one variety fo hornet from another. Hence the following story might just be interesting and pertinent. And also, quite possibly, just plain wrong.
"Hornets hit France and could reach Britain
Swarms of giant hornets renowned for their vicious stings and skill at massacring honeybees have settled in France.
And there are now so many of the insects that entomologists fear it will just be a matter of time before they cross to Britain.
Global warming has largely been blamed for the survival and spread of the Asian Hornet, Vespa velutina, which is thought to have arrived in France from the Far East in a consignment of Chinese pottery in late 2004.
Thousands of football-shaped hornet nests are now dotted all over the forests of Aquitaine, the south-western region of France hugely popular with British tourists."
(continued on site)
They're displaying a lack of knowledge.
That's journalistic hyperbole. And even if it's true, they're not here yet so there's no need to worry about something which hasn't happened.
Tell you what, if you're in UK, paint your house bright pink.
That will keep away all elephants and tigers, I guarantee.
:-)
Mary
Fluffer.
Owain
Apparently they are surplus to requirement since the advent of Viagra.
Don.
If they haven't found a suitable cavity to occupy and have consumed all the honey supplies that they were carrying, they can then get irate. Best not to bother a swarm, unless you're a be keeper. They usually go within a few hours.
They stoke up with enough honey to last them for three days, it's rare for them not to have found a suitable location in that time - especially since the area has been reconnoitred before they leave the parent nest.
There wouldn't be any reason to 'bother' a swarm - except that I've seen boys using one as target. If anyone does that they deserve everything they get. And a beekeeper would never 'bother' a swarm, s/he'd simply remove it.
Quite.
>
Those hornets are the size of an adult's finger, not like the British ones at all. But I understand that they too do not attack unless provoked.
Andy
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.