Just after I finished yesterday's post I heard a buzzing above me at the window, and look what I found trying frantically to escape through the net curtain. I trapped him/her using the old glass and whatever comes to hand trick, in this case Lovely Hubby's 10% discount voucher for his trailer service ..... and took it outside.
It didn't look very happy with it's new accommodation !!
I left it trapped until I had a photo and LH came home from work, he would never have believed me how large it was if I hadn't.
Once released it just sat there on the table no doubt wondering whether to give it's captor a piece of his/her mind or a sting of the tail, but then it flew away no doubt glad to be over the adventure and imprisonment.
This is a half pint glass to give you an idea of scale and I'm not altogether sure of what this creature is, it's body was about 3cm long and it was a very sturdy looking beastie !!
The voucher dried out nicely and will be used this weekend :-)
Sue xx
Looks like a hornet. We get them often here but haven't seen any this year yet.
ReplyDeleteIt seemed to have the 'wrong' type of body to be a hornet, we get lots of them here. Maybe it had been taking steroids :-)
DeleteWe call them yellow jackets...well not really, but I can't say what we actually call them!
ReplyDeleteJane x
I bet it's not for young ears (or eyes)....lol :-)
DeleteCould just as easily be a French Wasp. They drop out of our attic regularly and are at least twice as big (in both directions) as our wasps. We capture everything with a glass and card.
ReplyDeleteI've just Googled French Wasps and it does look very similar, although my visitor had a chunkier body and the facial markings are more yellow and more joined up.
DeleteThis is the closest likeness I've seen to it :-)
Queen Hornet - marked slightly differently and larger than the usual. I like hornets - they eat wasps and will only sting if you really really get up close and personal and threaten them. Wasps seem to sting for the fun of it...!
ReplyDeleteBlimey it does look like a huge beast.
ReplyDeleteyup, its a hornet.
ReplyDeleteWe get them nesting in the trees here. They used to scare the s..t out of me but I've gotten quite used to them and like you, catch them in a jar and put them out. We once had one who wouldn't fit in a pint tumbler!
In the autumn they get on the warmth of the chimney and fall down into the woodburner so when you open up to light it, cindery ashy hornets fly out.
I put them in the shed to overwinter, haven't got the heart to leave them out in the rain!
Looks like a hornet...if they eat wasps l sure wish we had a few here round the rabbit run. Blasted wasps go after the apple peal l feed the bunnies...and yes, l do believe they sting just for fun (wasps that is). Pam
ReplyDeleteWasps the VD of the animal world
ReplyDeleteBleurgh! Buzzing beasties are the worst! You were very brave to capture it and get it outside.
ReplyDeletelooks like a hornet, definitely!
ReplyDelete