Oriental Hornet

Where it lives

Underground cavities, rubble walls, disused wells, wall voids, roof spaces and hollow trees. Often nests below ground in gardens and fields where the entrance is easy to disturb.

Signs

• Large red-brown hornets with a yellow band, active in strong sunshine
• A steady stream of hornets entering a hole in the ground, a wall or a wellhead
• Hornets attacking beehives or hovering around fruit trees and bins
• Loud buzzing from within a cavity or under paving

Risks

• Stings are extremely painful and can be dangerous, especially in numbers
• Serious anaphylaxis risk
• Colonies of several hundred defend aggressively at up to several metres
• Destroys honey bee colonies and damages soft fruit

Prevention

• Never attempt to treat a hornet nest yourself. Call someone
• Keep away from and mark the area around a known nest entrance
• Fill disused wells, cavities and holes in rubble walls in winter
• Cover bins and clear fallen fruit in late summer
• Take care when strimming banks and field margins in autumn

Treatment

We treat hornet nests with full protective equipment, applying professional dust or foam directly into the nest entrance, usually at dusk. Underground and cavity nests are treated in place and the entrance sealed once activity ends. We provide an exclusion zone and timing advice for schools, hotels and public areas, and offer a priority service for nests near entrances or play areas.