Dear Tom.
 
I´m pretty sure, you´ve come across a kind of wasp called Vespa Crabro, that lives mostly in woods. It´s not unusual here in Denmark - as a matter of fact, I´ve been killing 20+ of them
during early summer, 4 or 5 of them queens. 
Nobody I know of has been stung, niether has anyone reported any agression.
This rather large insect does have a larger amount of poison, but to my knowledge, it´s 
the same poison as by the usual wasp - just in maybe double portion.
Thus the sting is pretty painful and according to my book " ..a few stings may be
dangerous to children".
To be honest, I don´t feel comfortable having them around, and they are pretty impressive.
The queen beeing between 1½ and 2 inches long and with a very deep fligt-sound they seem like small helicopters. 
I´ve seen one flying around for more than a minute with a 2-inch catarpillar. They seem to feed on the same as the common wasp. They are reported to be able to rob out beehives very effectively in the autumn - "my wasps" didn´t live that long, and my wife has been laughing (from inside the kitchen window!!) watching me ( 2 meters tall and 110 kilos) jumping around the house and yard trying to wack them from the air with whatever I had close to wack with :-)
Hope you and your bees don´t find them around.
 
:-)  Lars, Denmark
Third year beginner together with my father.
7 hives, old fashioned stationary Danish hives
 
 
>Reports have appeared recently of an attack on children in a playground in
>Ireland, by what were described as very big wasps. They would appear to be
>of European origin. I am wondering if any of the members have come across
>this phenomenon.
>
>The wasps seem to attack repetitively and in large numbers.
>
>Sincerely
>
>Tom Barrett