Hornet

Hornets

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Hornets

Hornets are not common in the UK. If you do see them on your property, it is likely to be the European hornet (Vespa crabro) species. Although they are less aggressive than wasps, they may still sting you repeatedly to defend their nest against any threat.

Hornet control is important if you have a problem with sensitivity to stinging insects as their stings are as painful as a wasp sting.

Hornet Stings

A sting by a hornet is a painful experience. It can be life threatening to those who are allergic and may suffer anaphylactic shock. It is possible to reduce the risk of being stung by taking sensible precautions and ensuring that a hornet nest is properly treated or removed. If you know there is a hornets nest nearby, you should try to keep windows and doors shut to prevent entry indoors.

Rentokil’s Hornet Control

If you have hornets nesting close to your property and causing you a potential issue, you can rely on Rentokil to take care of the problem for you. We offer a convenient hornet nest treatment that will get rid of your hornet problem quickly and safely.

Our treatment involves:

  • BPCA certified technicians - With expert knowledge about the lifecycle and habits of hornets and wasps.

  • Inspection - Our BPCA certified technician will arrange a convenient time with you to inspect the nest location.

  • Treatment - We will explain the treatment process before we proceed. To professionally treat a single hornets’ nest (in an accessible location) our pest control technicians require a 30 - 45 min visit.

  • Prevention - After the treatment, our technician will offer advice on preventing the problem in the future.

The hornet nest cannot be removed directly after treatment, as it can take several days for all the foraging hornets to return to the nest. The insecticide treatment remains inside the nest to contaminate returning hornets, ensuring the entire colony is eventually treated.

Comparing Hornets and Wasps

There are some key differences between the appearance and habits of wasps and hornets. If you are able to identify a hornet from a wasp, it can help to decide the best form of treatment to eliminate a hornets nest for your home or business.

  • Hornets are larger in size than wasps and bees. They can be up to 4cm in length, with dark brown and yellow markings (compared to the black and yellow pattern of wasps).
  • The hornet’s vertex (head area behind the eyes) is larger than that of wasps.
  • Hornets are generally less aggressive than wasps but will still sting to defend their nest.
  • Unlike wasps, European hornets will also forage for food at dusk if weather conditions are mild. They can also be disorientated by lights, in much the same way as moths, during twilight hours.
  • Hornets feed mainly on live insects such as houseflies, blow flies, caterpillars and grasshoppers.
  • Hornets will strip the bark from oak, ash, birch, lilac, rhododendron and boxwood plants to repeatedly harvest the sap. This is known as 'girdling', and it can seriously damage the affected plants. It is not uncommon to see several hornets feeding on the plant sap at the same time.
  • Hornets naturally build nests in tree cavities – although they have adapted to build nests in man-made structures too.
  • Hornets scrape slithers from weathered wooden fences, buildings even telegraph poles to create a durable paper paste to construct their nests.

Invasive Asian hornets in the UK

Invasive Asian hornets (Vespa velutina), also known as the 'yellow-legged' hornet are a non-native predator that poses a threat to UK honeybees and other native pollinators. They are highly efficient hunters that can decimate bee populations, yet have no natural pedators of their own in the UK.

How aggressive are Asian hornets?

They are no more aggressive towards people than our native European hornet (Vespa crabro). But like any hornets they can become aggressive, if they perceive a threat to their nest. If you are unfortunate to get stung by an Asian hornet, their stingers are longer than other UK hornets, and they will sting repeatedly in defence.

How do you identify Asian hornets from native UK ones?

Asian hornets (Vespa velutina) are smaller than our native European hornets (Vespa crabro). Other distinctive features of Asian hornets are:

  • Bright yellow tipped legs and feet
  • Black / deep brown, velvety abdomen
  • Only the fourth segment of the abdomen is almost entirely yellow / orange - where as native hornets have yellow in all segments of their abdomen
  • Asian hornets are not active at night, but European hornets are known to be active occationally from dusk into night

Do not attempt DIY nest treatment

Plese do not attempt DIY treatment for a hornet nest if you think you are:

  • Sensitive or allergic to stings.
  • If the hornet nest is indoors.
  • If the nest is in a difficult position to reach safely.

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