now its angry wasps

[Chill]

Beware 100mtrs upstream of the Child Beal entrance there are angry wasps, just been informed by a fellow boater who tried to moor there, poor chap was stung several times. No news of the boater who must of made a quick get away leaving a mooring pin and hammer behind!!

 

[Outinthedinghy]

I hit a wasp near just past the islands at Childe Beale about ten years ago. Had to leave the mooring pin behind.

There is also a wasp nest right now at a rather nice mooring spot just above Lock Wood Island by Nuneham park half way between Abingdon and Sandford locks. It's on the left bank going up about 5 minutes past the island - a nice quiet spot between 2 trees. I stopped there yesterday and tied to the trees - fortunately I didn't get off the boat to tie the bow rope as I could reach from the deck.

While I was relaxing and looking round I noticed an unusual hole in the grass and yes it was a wasp nest - with a lot of wasps going in and out of it. I wrote a note on an envelope and pinned it to the tree to warn other boaters.

I've encountered several wasp nests over the years - OK if you realise quickly and leg it but if not and they get you it is horrible

 

[thamesS23]

I got done a few years ago by a load at Cliveden. I worked out I had been stung about 30 - 40 times in total !!

it resulted in me leaving the mooring very quickly whilst also stripping down to my pants, as they had got in all under my top and pants! The other boaters moored up further along path must have wondered what the hell I was up to.

 

[No Regrets]

Yet to be stung, but twice, the boat has been infiltrated by huge Hornet type things, that must have been twice the size of a normal Wasp!

The first time was when mooring in a sidewind at Bray, and the thing looked both fierce and angry, so I grabbed the Dyson hand-held and sucked it up. When released, It flew to the bows, then came back at me like a Stuka. Luckily it must have realised I didn't kill it, and took it on the chin, much to my relief. The mooring must have looked shabby...

The second time was at Henley festival, negotiating a million assorted rowers, pleasure boats and sloops, but this one took some real sucking, almost beating the Dyson, which with a full charge sucks like a Lithuanian whore, eventually succumbing though, while we must have scared a few other boats in the process. I dumped this one in the River where hopefully it got run over by a Rower....

They only appear at a critical moment in helming, and are absolutely huge :ambivalence:

 

[Wavey]

We get hornets in our garden from time to time. Not something you want to upset. Never came across one in all our years on the Thames thankfully. Second only in size to some of the big wasps/bees in Thailand but they are relatively docile by comparison to hornets.

 

[Actionmat]

The only time I've encountered a hornet is when riding across Australia. I started the bike up and it was only firing on one cylinder. I soon discovered that overnight, a hornet had built a nest in the air filter.

 

[Medskipper]

I was a bee keeper for many years. Wasp nests start to break up this time of year and throughout September. The queen leaves the nest and finds somewhere to hibernate for the winter. This means the workers left behind have no direction any more and act like naughty children when teacher is not in the classroom! They get hungry and then become aggressive. Just like a bee the sting has a feramone and when released excites others to sting, particularly near the nest. This is the reason why your picnic is often disturbed during September because wasps are carnivores and enjoy your ham and they are hungry! Not much can be done although the nest will die out naturally because no more young are being reared. So if you have a nest in the loft etc no point in paying to remove it this time of year. They will not be back next year! Unlike honey bees.

 

[byron]

We have managed to entice a Queen Bee into a Hive and she now has a flourishing colony. A neighbour keeps Bees and is keeping a eye on things, indeed he's running the job. I'm spending time watching them and find them fascinating.

 

[Medskipper]

We have managed to entice a Queen Bee into a Hive and she now has a flourishing colony. A neighbour keeps Bees and is keeping a eye on things, indeed he's running the job. I'm spending time watching them and find them fascinating.

Yes and the more you study and learn about bees the more incredible and fascinating they are. Unfortunately I had to give up bee keeping after more than a decade of keeping them because my wife became allergic to their stings and nearly died. The honey though was better than anything shop bought!

 

[No Regrets]

Maybe you should have retrieved the Honey yourself and saved her the trouble

 

[Medskipper]

Maybe you should have retrieved the Honey yourself and saved her the trouble

I always did! But when you have hundreds of thousands of them flying near your home there is always a chance of getting stung. Getting stung never bothered me but increasingly she became more and more allergic to the venum. In the end just hanging out the washing became dangerous. I contemplated increasing her life insurance, but decided in the end the bees sadly had to go.

 

[No Regrets]

I would have opted for the former. But then, your Wife is nicer than mine.