Frantic Days
By Anna
@LadyDuck (471498)
Switzerland
October 8, 2017 8:15am CST
Friday morning, I heard a loud buzzing while I was taking a bath. A big hornet was flying inside the bathroom.
I jumped out of the bathtub, sprayed it with a product and forget about the accident. A few hours later another hornet was buzzing in the same room.
I went outside and a quick search showed that the hornets had made their way in a small crack under the beam of the roof, exactly where our bathroom is.
Those big insects are dangerous, they bite and sting at the same time, I called the firefighters to come for a de-infestation.
They came Saturday early afternoon and stayed several hours, spraying inside the crack, checking under the roof tiles, making sure that all the hornets were dead and the house again safe.
You can see in my photos the two hornets I captured and the truck of the firefighters in front of our garage.
All's Well That Ends Well.
Did you ever experience a hornet invasion?
79 people like this
79 responses
@marguicha (223152)
• Chile
8 Oct 17
I have yellow jackets once in a while. I try to check everywhere so that their nest is small. They use the same one every year and it gets bigger and bigger
5 people like this
@Butchcass4 (5895)
• United States
8 Oct 17
@LadyDuck That was quite an investation! Thank God nobody got hurt!
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (160717)
• United States
8 Oct 17
@LadyDuck Wow!! I am glad they helped.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
9 Oct 17
@Butchcass4 They were surely trying to find a warm place to survive the winter.
@rebelann (112875)
• El Paso, Texas
8 Oct 17
I'm so glad you weren't bitten or stung.
I have never seen one and I pray I never will. I'm so glad you got rid of those awful things. I have seen wasps and was once chased by one when we vacationed at a lake, I don't like those things either.
Maybe I should be grateful I don't live so close to a body of water as it seems people see more of these horrible flying bullies if they live in lush green areas.
3 people like this
Later he said it was to go find a spray to kill the thing.
@crossbones27 (49491)
• Mojave, California
8 Oct 17
I so love your country, can I move there. Sorry about the hornets, and glad you OK. Our country just does not work like that. Only Wasps tried to enter this home, but did not last long and not sure why they did not fight that hard. Knocked one nest down when was a child and that damn thing followed me into the house to make sure it stung me. This time, they like, ah was not a good place. 
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (49491)
• Mojave, California
8 Oct 17
@LadyDuck Oh yeah, hornets are bigger than wasps and wasp stings are about 10 times a bee sting, so not sure how a hornet would be. Said they carry a bit of poison or some kind of chemical that does not make you feel well.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
8 Oct 17
@crossbones27 It seems that their bites are very bad and you end up at the ER if they sting. I did not want to experience.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Oct 17
We get mud hornets that like to build nests on our outside walls. My hubby usually takes care of them.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
8 Oct 17
@fishtiger58 The mud hornets do not sting, I am not afraid of the bees, if you let them alone, they will not annoy you. I am afraid by wasps and hornets.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Oct 17
@LadyDuck I am afraid of any kind of hornet they are so mean.
2 people like this
@Shivram59 (35599)
• India
1 Aug
Yes;twice or thrice I have had bitten by hornets who entered my room while I was reading.Before I could get alert;rhey bit me in my hand.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
5 Aug
@Shivram59 He has several health problems and he is dripping into senile dementia. Very hard to take care of him.
1 person likes this
@Shivram59 (35599)
• India
5 Aug
@LadyDuck How is he?? I am anxious.Hope;he'will get well doon.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
8 Oct 17
not hornets - had wasp nests to deal with twice
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
8 Oct 17
@LadyDuck glad you got rid of them
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
9 Oct 17
@arthurchappell It is incredible how all those little animals can be so much annoying and disturbing.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
9 Oct 17
I have been stung by a wasp and I had an allergic reaction. These hornets are about 4 to 5 times bigger than the wasps, so I was afraid at the idea they could sting me. I think they are all gone now. I have not seen one all the day yesterday.
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
8 Oct 17
@LadyDuck Ah gotcha so they offer this service. There is no termite or pest control there?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
8 Oct 17
@infatuatedbby Yes we have private companies that do pest control, we have no termites here. I like to call the firemen, they come immediately and they are cheaper. They are also authorized and certified for pest control. They came with appropriate anti wasp clothing and all the products they needed.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
8 Oct 17
I was scared yesterday, I did not even dare to open the door of the bathroom. We will receive the invoice from the firemen department, it's not expensive, we already had a similar problem under a balcony 6 years ago. I think to remember we paid about 80 dollars.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40296)
• Laguna Woods, California
19 Oct 17
@LadyDuck - When we lived in Texas, we used to get hornets and wasps in the house. I hated it!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
21 Oct 17
@DeborahDiane I was not sure and I called my insurer, he checked and he said that we can have this extension, it's only a couple of dollars more per year.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40296)
• Laguna Woods, California
21 Oct 17
@LadyDuck - Wow! Your homeowner's insurance is much different in Switzerland than it is here in the U.S. We discussed this once before when we talked about fire insurance. I do not think it would be possible to get insurance here to cover the intervention of an insect infestation. What a great idea!
1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20255)
•
11 Oct 17
We got trouble with bees once. God knows why they suddenly came making a nest right there, on a skinny pathetic tree next to our verandah. For three days we were scared stiff. Right on the 4th day, when some experts were supposed to come to remove them, they silently disappeared. (We chopped that tree. 
.)
.)1 person likes this
@shaggin (72146)
• United States
24 Oct 17
Hmm what you have in the photo I always thought were called yellow jackets. Lately the apples have been falling off the tree and if left on the ground half way through the day those apples will be swarming with yellow jackets. I had no idea you could call firefighters to kill them.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (72146)
• United States
24 Oct 17
@LadyDuck That is really neat the fire fighters are trained to do that! You are right that hornets are bigger and look different. Ironically I just got stung by a nasty yellow jacket today. I looked up the difference ha ha so I know it was not a hornet.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
24 Oct 17
Yellow jackets are smaller, those I had under the wooden beam of the roof are 2 inches long, they sing and they bite, they are very dangerous. We pay the firefighters, they are listed among the professionals appointed to fight wasps and hornets. The bees are never killed, they come with a professional who "calls" the bees using a "Queen Bee".
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11384)
• United States
13 Oct 17
I am surprised that the fire department takes care of that. Here in the states, we would have to take care of it ourselves or hire a professional to come take care of it. I am glad it was sorted out for you.
My Granny's house had a huge hornet's nest located at one of the windows. My cousin was outside and got stung by several. She was rushed to the hospital with an allergic reaction and is still highly allergic to them. She carries around an EPI pen in case she is stung. They finally had the nest removed after she was stung. I never understood why my Granny refused to have it taken care of. Of course, I was young, it could have been the fact that she did not have the money to get someone out there to take care of it.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11384)
• United States
14 Oct 17
@LadyDuck It is always interesting to see how different countries/areas take care of unique problems such as this.
I am glad they are away from your home now.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11384)
• United States
14 Oct 17
@LadyDuck Glad to know it is as it should be.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
14 Oct 17
@Shellyann36 It's a week today that they came and everything is quiet. If the cold finally comes in, the few left will be killed by the cold.
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
9 Oct 17
Oh you were attacked!
I've been bitten by one when I was a kid when I tried to pick a flower and there was a hornet in it. My thumb stung like hell and I don't want to experience that again ever!
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (72281)
• Philippines
9 Oct 17
@LadyDuck oh it's too dangerous for you. I hope they're all gone by now.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
10 Oct 17
@toniganzon They are all gone, I check time by time to see if there are some flying outside, but I have not seen one since last Saturday.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
9 Oct 17
I am allergic, if those big things should bite me I have to be rushed to the ER, hoping to arrive there in time. I was so scared when I noticed that in some way they entered inside the bathroom. Yesterday I have seen none around. I hope they have all been killed.
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
9 Oct 17
no I haven't..
I'm glad you were able to get someone to sort it out for you... I did not realise the fire depart did that ... do you have to pay...or is it a free service??
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
10 Oct 17
Our fire department is authorized to exterminate wasps and hornets nests, not to do other kind of pests control. Yes, we pay for the service, but it is usually less expensive than a private company. The fire department it's only 2 Km from our home, the closest private company at 30 Km and this makes a big change in price.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471498)
• Switzerland
12 Oct 17
@sueznewz2 Everything is quiet since they came and treated the area. I think we are safe now.
1 person likes this
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
11 Oct 17
@LadyDuck Yes it would do.... Im glad you were able to get it sorted at a reasonable price
1 person likes this
