Robin Dartington
UK Hornets

I would not have thought that the problem with hornets was only that  
of keeping them out of a hive. This is easily done by restricting  
entrances. However, the more restricted an entrance, the slower the  
bees can enter the hive - making them an easy target for the hornets  
marauding around the hive. It is not only the fact that this happens,  
but also that the menace caused tends to prevent bees flying at all.  
We do not have the Asian hornets in Greece, nor the UK variety: ours  
is Vespula orientalis which can destroy colonies easily if  
unprotected. They kill more bees outside the hive than ever they could  
inside that is until the hive becomes sufficiently weak for the  
hornets to be able to pillage it completely. Normally. the hornet  
grabs a bee as it is nearing the hive entrance or has landed on the  
hive wall and the then flies off to a nearby resting place to get rid  
of the wings etc before flying home. Can I say anything good about  
hornets? Yes - I have never been stung by one and can work amongst  
hundreds of them without being bothered, certainly the species here  
are not prone to attacking humans.

John Phipps
Greece

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