Wed May 01, 2019 5:18 pm
I have spent a fair bit of time in southern Burgundy, where European hornets ('frelon' in French) are common. They certainly do make a hell of a noise when they fly, which is lucky, because their sting is horrendous, and I can tell you from plenty of personal experience that although they are quite slow compared to our native wasp, they are not docile. The wine growers in that part of the country are hard men, as nearly all the work is still done by hand, and they reckon one sting and you're out of action for a day, two stings and it's a hospital job.
Seriously, if you see one, be careful and don't mess with it....
Alan