In a drought, all sorts of wildlife gets attracted to a garden pond since there are few other sources of water nearby. Regular visitors are wasps, the largest of which is the European hornet, Vespa crabro, which dwarfs common wasps because it is twice the size, at 25mm long.
According to the experts it is less aggressive than the common wasp, but carries a substantial sting – so requires respect. Although once confined to the extreme south of Britain because it was too cold further north, climate change has allowed hornets to extend their range as far north as Scotland, and they are now common in the Midlands and central England.
Most of their food appears to be other insects and they tend to avoid humans, usually nesting in hollow trees and foraging in their upper branches, although they can also nest in old buildings. Surprisingly they also hunt by moonlight, which is why when the windows are open in hot weather they can appear in the night buzzing alarmingly. Increased buzzing is said to be a sign of annoyance. Observation has shown that our house is between the pond and the hornets’ nest, so closing the windows in their flight path should solve the problem.
