The End Is Nigh!
Sunrise: 06.58 Sunset: 07.03
I am seeing an increasing number of dead hornets around the nest – the colder the night, the more I see.
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A nature conservation blog about the fauna and flora of Wilden Marsh Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Lower Stour Valley, Worcestershire, England.
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Foxes, foxes and more foxes.
Another sign the land is going to sleep.
Indeed it is, Alex.
Hello Mike, If I PM you my address would you be able to send me a couple if you find any in good condition? I can send you a container.
Dead or alive?
Hah, I meant dead.
You want me to pluck dead hornets from a tree trunk and post them to you? What if they are not dead and are resting? I know when I think they are dead when I go back the next day and they haven’t moved. What if they are not quite dead and they cover me with pheromones? The whole nest will attack me and I still have a gammy knee, Marc. I’d rather not take the chance.
You are not aiming to get me stung are you, Marc;
LOL, I just need one for reference for an illustration, I wasn’t intending to use you as live bait. I’m sure I can find one at my end. They’ll all be dead soon :0)
I don’t like the way they have been looking at me lately, and gangs of them have chased me away on a few occasions. I reckon they have given me fair warning, Marc. 😉
Sounds like they are just biding their time :0)
They are waiting until I reach out to grab one, Marc.
Waiting for me to go just that little bit too far, perhaps.
Apart from the Queen of course. Sorry I thought you were knee deep in them!
The nest tree is just off a ridge path, on a steep bank, and is surrounded with dense brambles, Marc. The dead hornets hold on to the tree bark for a couple of days and then disappear; they either fall off, or the live hornets dispose of the dead bodies.
Yes I wonder if they are cannibalistic?
Well, Vespa Crabro are carnivorous, but I don’t know if they eat each other.
Or just pick up the males, they don’t have a sting :0)