New Noise in the Cab....

All through the summer i had loads of the buggers in mine. Really big ones too. They'd generally wait until the cab warmed up and you were

I hate wasps! When the first ones came out (3 at once) me and a mate ended up stripping the seats and everything out in a layby (to check if there was a nest underneath)

I later had one trying to sting me when i was reversing into the drive. I now have a dent that needs knocking out thanks to the tree at the end. I'm now pretty good at not panicking so much and can manage to open my drivers door and flick them out while driving (its always the dual carriage way too!. they must wait carefully an not emere when im parked up).

I found that if i left the back of the rag open they would generally let themselves out without bothering me (not very practical when its cold though!).

So Rory Manton was, like

It must have been feeding on the LRS's.

We've had some massive wasps in the last couple of weeks, buzzing round the espresso trailer. And these are *big* - landing lights, full weaponry, Merlin engines, the lot. They bounce off the fly killer like it's a game or they are merely refuelling with mains voltage.

They'll be queens looking for some where nice to over winter. Have queens got a sting? If they are really big, about 1 1/2" long, with more orangy/brown stripes and a much lower tone of buzz then you have hornets.

I don't like wasps either! At work the other week, one was on my sleeve, I flicked it onto the floor and stamped on it with my steel toe-caps. However, it must have been lucky and went into the tread of my boot as about 30 seconds the bugger had crawled up my leg and stung me on the inside of my thigh! Ouch! It could have been much, MUCH worse!

On or around Fri, 12 Nov 2004 19:38:38 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice" enlightened us thusly:

Only ever seen one hornet, and that were in France. nasty big mean noisy sod, flew in the open window one night. I swatted it, with a rolled up magazine, and then lobbed it back out the window, and shut same, just in case.

Rory Manton twisted the electrons to say:

Reminds me of the occasion when my brother and I where driving my first Landie (a V8-engined, half coil-sprung lightweight) up the M1 from Milton Keynes to Bridlington. We got about 30 minutes up the M1, when there's this buzzing sound and this wasp appears right between us heading for the windscreen ...

Cue a swift detour onto the hard shoulder, by which time it had seemingly disappeared ... So our journey resumed, me now equipped with gloves to hit it should it reappear ... Which it did about 5 minutes later ...

I'm not sure what the people in the car behind thought, as it must have looked like the passenger suddenly removed his seatbelt and tried to punch out the driver!

We have had lots of them this summer, I like them. They are much less aggressive than normal wasps, just look more dangerous, due to size and sound :)

regards - Ralph

the wife and the kids all go nuts at anything that flies and buzzes.

They don't worry me but if one appears in the cab when driving the wife and kids all try to leap out, I usually manage to stop before they leap out... bonkers.

Regards. Mark.(AKA, Mr.Nice.)

Me and U both mate, I have no probs with bee's, but have no real reason why, but wasps of any size leave me cold... Why was the bugger alive this time of the year anyway.. U may have the first SUPER WASP there... AAARGH

On or around Sat, 13 Nov 2004 22:47:05 GMT, "Me" enlightened us thusly:

global warming.

Mrs Queen Wasp had found a nice place in your landy to spend the winter. You come along to use her temporary home, you feel a bit cold so you inconsiderately turn the heating on. This wakes her up...

What is it with people an wasps? The sting isn't nice, BTDTGTTS, but they don't sting just for the hell of it. They sting if they are threatened, like been sat on or trapped. They are also fairly inquisitive creatures so waving your arms about screaming and shouting makes 'em think "Oh whats that funny animal, must take a closer look" where as if you keep calm and quiet they may have a quick buzz around but then get bored and fly off looking for something more interesting or edible.

They're in good company. I haven't got many phobias, but I am absolutely terrified of needles - and wasps come with a bloody great stinging one as standard equipment.

I've been known to cross a classroom via the tables because one came in through the window...

On or around Sun, 14 Nov 2004 10:03:37 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice" enlightened us thusly:

I've known the buggers sting pretty-much unprovoked.

besides, what *good* do they do?

I mean, bees make honey, flies eat sh*t, but wasps and 'orse-flies I've never seen the point in. Nor mozzies, neither.

Probably because your flapping your arms about and screaming.

They are predators and scavengers, so they eat many garden pests and tidy up carrion.

They generally sting me unprovoked! I was sweeping a drive the first time i got stung!

A fair few of my mates are actually allergic to them too (the get them to A&E pretty quick type of allergy) which makes me fairly biased against them. There were so many around this summer that you couldnt avoid them round here (due the the last mild winter i guess). I worked as staff on a scout camp. We cleared 4 nests out of a landrover so we could move it, and i got pretty good at tying up bin bags with the wasps still in them (a trailer full of buzzing bin bags is quite wierd!). Got through a very large pack of fly spray stuff (if you tape the top down and lob it into bins/cars it clears them well)

They seem to eat anything sweet that is left wround.

Whats this *heating* thing everybody go's on about?

In a Series One?