Wasps in Winter? WTF?

HeX · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:18

malccy said:
To OP; there was no need to kill the thing just cos' it's in your vicinity. RIP

Yes there was.

It is a Wasp, the evilest of all UK insectoid life. Ergo it forfeits all rights if it enters my air space.

Well done OP.

Mr.Clark · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:20

scorza said:
Looking on Wiki, it could have been a hornet

Aren't they like wasps except you need a crossbow to kill them with?

Tefal · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:21

Mr.Clark said:
Aren't they like wasps except you need a crossbow to kill them with?

no stinger.

Kainz · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:21

Hornets are the big buggers aren't they?

Dunks · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:27

Tefal said:
no stinger.

Of course hornets have stingers.

scorza · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:28

Mr.Clark said:
Aren't they like wasps except you need a crossbow to kill them with?

Crossbow or a rolled up Sunday Times TV guide

The one I killed was this big

Simian · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:28

stoofa said:
Any wasps you see right now are early Queens.
You're right in that as a rule you don't see them this early, however a few usually "come out" early in the hunt for a new place for a nest.

Any wasp you kill now will be a queen and by doing so you'll in effect be killing off a whole nest before it even started.

Yaaaaay!!..

I hate Wasps!!!...

WotDa · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:36

scorza said:
Crossbow or a rolled up Sunday Times TV guide The one I killed was this big

Kill it with fire!

Tefal · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:40

DunK1 said:
Of course hornets have stingers.

no they have mouths and bite insted iirc, i would check but for some reason ff is saying server not found to every site apart from ocuk

scorza · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:45

Tefal said:
no they have mouths and bite insted iirc, i would check but for some reason ff is saying server not found to every site apart from ocuk

Nah they do. According to wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornet#Stings

European hornet sting

* in itself is not fatal except sometimes to allergic victims.[1]
* multiple stings (several hundred) may be fatal due to the amount of venom (similar to wasps and bees).[citation needed]
* is similar to a wasp's.
* is less toxic than a bee sting.

All hornet stings

* are an allergen for people with an allergy to wasp venom.
* those allergic to wasp venom are not necessarily allergic to bee venom as they contain different chemicals.
* contain less volume of venom than a bee sting.
* are primarily for killing insect prey.
* are slightly more painful than a typical wasp's due to a large amount - 5% - of acetylcholine [3]. See Schmidt Sting Pain Index [4].

Dunks · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:46

Tefal said:
no they have mouths and bite insted iirc, i would check but for some reason ff is saying server not found to every site apart from ocuk

Just checked good ol' Wikipedia myself,

A Hornet's sting is painful to humans, but the sting toxicity varies greatly by hornet species. Some deliver just a typical insect sting, while others are among the most venomous known insects.

Pulsar_GTI · 25 Jan 2008 at 13:55

Hornet stings are nasty ... when i got stung by one my forearm swelled up, normal wasps and bumble bee stings aint that bad ...hornet stings are totally different!

Would hate to get stung by any of the wasps in other parts of Europe tho there huge.

My family had a house in the south of France in the country and every so often you would hear a loud buzzing noise and it was a hornet ... eek panic and get the tennis rackets out :eek:

would not want to be stung by one of them! :eek:

Tefal · 25 Jan 2008 at 14:00

DunK1 said:
Just checked good ol' Wikipedia myself,

I stand corrected, Fixed my internet now though. Was a scary couple of minutes.

Dunks · 25 Jan 2008 at 14:26

Tefal said:
I stand corrected, Fixed my internet now though. Was a scary couple of minutes.

Hey, at least OcUK was working.

Mr.Clark · 25 Jan 2008 at 14:27

scorza said:
Crossbow or a rolled up Sunday Times TV guide The one I killed was this big

Good grief!

Crossbow then fire then acid.

Then nuke it.

:eek: