# What to do with Asian Hornet and nest



## baldlygo (Sep 19, 2006)

We were excited to see a small nest appear outside in our Limousin garden. Last week we thought it had been broken down and abandoned but to our surprise yesterday it has been restored. The amount of work this creature was putting in to repair it is amazing. However - having taken some photos and done some Googling we now find our little visitor may be the notorious Asian Hornet and so sadly need to take drastic action against this little hard working creature.








The nest is the size of a small orange and easy to reach but what should we do? DIY or call a specialist? Return to the UK is not an option :wink2:

Paul


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

contact the local Pompieres and they will come and sort it out for a small fee.


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## baldlygo (Sep 19, 2006)

Notre frelon est mort :-(

After getting a quote for 220 Euros I decided to get a 15 Euro spray can and did it myself after dark last night. A bit sad really to destroy the incredible little creature after all the skill and effort put it to rebuilding it's nest. Not to mention the laying and tendering of more than a dozen little wasp eggs. RIP little queen! (they are smaller normal hornets)

Paul


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

baldlygo said:


> We were excited to see a small nest appear outside in our Limousin garden. Last week we thought it had been broken down and abandoned but to our surprise yesterday it has been restored. The amount of work this creature was putting in to repair it is amazing. However - having taken some photos and done some Googling we now find our little visitor may be the notorious Asian Hornet and so sadly need to take drastic action against this little hard working creature.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Are you sure it was an Asian Hornet?


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

This is the chap I'm familiar with.


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## baldlygo (Sep 19, 2006)

This is a google image search - https://goo.gl/Xr1Gn5 - and now I am sure.

Paul


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

baldlygo said:


> This is a google image search - https://goo.gl/Xr1Gn5 - and now I am sure.
> 
> Paul


Yep, looks like you were right. :smile2:


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Yes, you're right. It seems that there are two types, the Asian Hornet and the Giant Asian Hornet. The small one seems to be the nastier of the two, I didn't know that, Alan.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

We have recently experienced a couple of hornets (felons) coming in the open bedroom window at night when the TV is on.
I managed to kill them using the electronic zapper like a small tennis racquet. 
We then noticed several on the outside porch light and zapped them.
I have been trying to locate a nest but without success. They can't be too close as they only turn up after 21.30 and I manage to zap em all by 23.00.
Must have done 20 or more now but would love to get em at source.

Ray.


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## randonneur (Jan 25, 2007)

When we lived in the Charente we use to find them in the morning on the floor in the bedroom near the glass door which opened on to the outside. We eventually found that they were coming from a chimney in a disused fireplace in our bedroom, frightening, we managed to dismantle the nest which was the size of a football and smokebombed the chimney, never had a problem after that. The little paper wasps are the nuisance as you destroy one nest they start building another in a place that is not easily visible. We have found them in our motorhome lockers before now.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Musta fried at least 50 or 80 by now. And still they keep coming each night between 2200 and 2300.

Ray.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

They nest on old trees building nests which can reach 80cm in diameter, made of chewed up wood as papier mache and can happily (if a hornet can be described as happy?) fly in excess of 5km to where they wish to go.










Note the entrances are on the sides and not the bottom as the European Hornet's are usually at the bottom

It is believed that they could fly across the Channel although at present that has not been confirmed and they may hitch a ride on other goods. They do react positively to light sources, treating it like a version of the moon, only brighter and lower. They fly at a fairly specific angle to the moon so do the same towards light - aiming to fly a few degrees off hitting it.

But of course, the closer they get to a light, the more they end up flying around the light until they hit it.

They are NOT animals to be mucked around with for various reasons;

1. they can be aggressive if threatened and secrete pheromones of their fear/threat detection that others pick up and react to, so one angryish hornet can become several all feeling the same anger only more so....

2. they can sting repeatedly, unlike the honeybee which has barbs on the sting, the hornet can pull it out and resting several times and do not always inject the full amount of venom at one time,

3. many people are allergic to their sting and repeated stings can result in sever allergy problems (anaphylaxis) which can be life threatening.

4. Using insecticide should work provided you swamp the whole nest and any returnees to the nest (dark is OK, but many more will be visiting the nest during the day). It is sensible to wear full protective suiting akin to a bee suit to protect your own face and airway.

I have removed several hornets nests over the last couple of years and they are stunningly constructed, but usually in the wrong place for humans.....

The insecticide that I use if about 15€ a can and it usually takes three cans to completely kill an established colony (I also use smoking to placate them first - like our bees.

They do not like sprays of water as they are too heavy if their wings get wet, so a garden spray may help keep them clear of an area......

Often during the day they are flying looking for water - they do need water to drink - hence why they are often found near swimming pools, put an empty seed tray, filled with stones and then topped up daily with water will distract most from the pool (we use that constantly).

If stung, ice works well to reduce the inflammation and if you have any, take anti-histamine if they are prescribed and suitable for you. If stung around the face, mouth or nose, summon medical assistance and keep the person sat down and calm with an ice-pack, wrapped in a tea-towel to keep the area cool. Beware the injury can cause breathing to be obstructed.

By the way, they are carnivores and love eating bees - they sit outside the hive and consume the bees as they exit and they are very efficient at killing bees.....

Hope that helps, we have them here every year, have only had one sting (MrsW in lounge) and regularly zap 10 - 15 per evening when sitting on verandah with light on......

Dave


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Thanks Dave, very informative.
I have been stung once 6 years ago when an old tree came down and we were clearing up the wood. Very painful and debilitating.
But although I have looked all around for hornet activity during the day I just can't see any nest to destroy...... Yet.

Ray.


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## TeamRienza (Sep 21, 2010)

Well just a matter of time I suppose. The first Asian hornet has been found in England.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-37421846

Probably came in on the back of a Lorry. Wonder if it is a refugee or economic migrant ? (Joke)

Davy


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Whichever "version" they are I would want to be rid of them VERY quickly indeed.

A few years ago we were on a site in the wilds of nowhere in France and I killed one of the ****ds.

Took the corpse to reception and showed the receptionist, well you would have thought I had used a cattle prod on her, talk about a quick reaction!!! She had the phone off the hook and gabbled off in French for a couple of minutes then informed me that it was indeed a "Falon" and they have a serious sting, two or three are enough to KILL a small child. As they were a long way from a hospital they needed to exterminate them ASAP and that's who she was on the phone to. 

About an hour later (about 21:00 in August) pest control man turns up, dons a Darth Vader type suit and proceeded to examine all the trees (site was an orchard as well) after about 20 mins returned to his van and took out what looked like a flamethrower and proceeded to totally drench one particular tree with some sprayed mist he insisted WE didn't breathe in (by sign language) He kept muttering something like "Falon, Bastide, mort" all the time he was spraying. Clearly he was NOT a fan of them. 

Never saw another of the beasties but the speed and seriousness of the reaction told me all I needed to know about "Falons" 

Andy


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

20 or 30 turned up tonight Sat. Dunno why so many maybe looking for their mates.?
Killed most but a few got away after buzzing me.

Ray.


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