📷 Hornets and Food
Hornets and Food.
European hornets (Vespa crabro) like sweet food, but they rarely go for nectar from flowers or your favourite summer drink.
They sometimes eat fruit, but usually feed from the sap of trees. They look for a damaged one and keep the sap flowing by enlarging the "leak" with their jaws:
They also hunt other insects, but they don't eat them; the prey provides food for the young hornets, and is taken to the nest after filleting:
Their nests usually are in hollow trees:
If you stand too close to their nest or feeding place, this species of hornets will warn you by doing flypasts, buzzing loudly. If you take a few steps back, they will leave you alone again:
If you stay, they may attack.
Note that other species of hornets can be rather less friendly, and will attack without warning, even just for standing too close to a food source.
Thanks for watching!
PS. On SteemPeak some photos may be missing. I know what causes this, but I don't know if it is a bug or a feature yet.
And isn't it true that hornets, unlike honey bees, can sting multiple times and don't die after stinging?
Wasps and hornets can, yes. The sting of this species of hornet is more painful, but less poisonous than that of the wasps we have here, and the wasps are more aggressive. Getting stung by one of these hornets requires talent 8-).
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Hmm, still don't approve
But they are friendly, they avoid humans, and they catch flies!
Kill them, I say
After you, I'll take photos 8-).
Ha, my speciality is squealing and running!
Exactly! Trending posting right there!
Lol!
Hornets are among the least favourite insects I know! Still, they do look very cool though.
The ones we have here are not aggressive at all, but I've heard other species behave differently 8-).
We have what I call clothesline wasps. They love to nest in my clothesline pole. And they are very nice wasps, compared to the other's you and I have discussed. They just look out and wiggle their wings at you, and if you talk to them, they go back in. Though I don't push my luck and mess with them. Kind of like yours here, a friendly flier. (Now if I could only train them to fan my laundry to speed things up a bit...)
You could put honey on the other pole and have them travel the length of your clothes. Or are the friendly wigglers in both poles? Or is there only one pole? I suddenly realise I lack local knowledge.
Local Knowlledge Assist: It is a complex system of dry-age. One pole, sticking up, hollow aluminium tube, with four arms sticking out like a spider, with ropes in a square. Odd little thing, especially after an ice storm did a number on it. ONE day I need to put up the two big T-poles, like a telephone system, with ropes between. I have the stuff, just lack the time-spent. This is WAY more info than the average bear would want to know about my laudrette system, but it is late, I just ate after a bike ride, some punks gave me grief for my bike light giving them seizures, but at least they did not pound me as I crossed the bridge, as some did to someone else I know, and also, this is way more info than that same bear wanted to know about my night. But I seem to be jabberipherous here. What else is new, I suppose...
Oh, and yes, only one pole. I might have said that already. I don't really know for sure.
PS. I do not quite get the honey thing. Maybe lack of local knowllledge is reciprocal, even across a wide, blue ocean.
I have such a contraption as well.
The honey was intended for guiding laundry-drying wasps along the washing lines. I think.
You have such punks in the colonies? Why aren't they shot?
Those odd contraptions must be worldwide...mine is supposed to 'fold up', but after the ice storm had it's way with it, I'm not about to try.
That wasp thing is quite the grand idea, actually. I think you're onto something, I can tell you are an engineer of note (pronounced engin-ear).
Yes, there seem to be a few punks in the colonies. I think I shall refrain from night riding as much. The other evening a large, wild looking gallonk was walking along wielding his trusty machete. Gave me the willies.
Nice pics @orcdu :D