I reported on the Australian Hornets nest that was being built by my back-door and unfortunately the Queen who was quite fine with as for a few days all of a sudden decided she no longer liked to share the back too entry with us and took a swing at me.
If I had my video camera recording it would have been the most hilarious event you would see this year. A grown man running and screaming from a 3cm flying insect. Sounds pretty shameful but I can assure you I live in Australia where everything will fight or kill you.
The stinger on an Australian hornet is designed to paralys prey and if you get stung enough times guess what. Off to hospital you to. Australian Hornets also don't just sting you once and die like bees. They don't even sting you once and fly away to make you back off.
Nope, no sir. If they engage they engage to win and it becomes a fight to the death. While they are stinging you they also call for back up and in come the cavalry. From one Hornet now you've got to contend with the whole hive. So you better be an epic martial arts expert able to dodge incoming orange paralysing bullets of death.
I gave the nest a few sprays of repellent hoping to deter the Queen and that she would move her young but unfortunately it didn't work. So in the brief moment (I literally had to time this shit 2minuts between leaving and getting back with building materials) I struck it with a shovel breaking it.
Thats her on the Hive pissed off that I sprayed repellent on her Hive, how do I know?
She came at me multiple times whilst I waited behind the fly screen and a glass sliding door. I've watched too many horror movies to know that if bugs want to kill you, they will slice through mesh. After all Emus can cut through steel. I'm not game to test other angry animals. Especially ones that are bright orange. Usually any animal that is bright tends to mean STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME OR I WILL KILL YOU.
but I'm updating you on the destruction, seems to have worked. She hasn't been back and I'm not sure her reaction as I wasn't game enough to be around when her young were destroyed.
Anyway I need to finish the job before the lave hatch otherwise I'll have another issue. Hornets don't like the cold of night and it will kill them if they don't seek shelter. Hence why the Queen builds a hive and seeks refuge in it each night.
But the interesting this is that Hornets ear nectar, yet their young devour living bugs. Each sell that is constructed took a day. Once the Queen lays her lave she brings back a bug which she has stung. The bug isn't dead, just paralysed. Once the young hatch they eat it... the cells that I destroyed the encased bugs that were being stored fell to the ground.
Was quite a ewk moment as the bugs were kicking and shaking. Clearly still alive but paralysed. I'm wondering if any of them will revive or if it's game over for them.
Anyway, I'll destroy the rest of this hive soon, once I know the Queen is gone for good. I am scared shitless that she is hiding in a crack or crevices somewhere waiting for me.
Wish me luck 😱