Tu Fong - Asian Giant Hornet (Insects)

by dulan drift ⌂, Thursday, August 29, 2013, 22:41 (4105 days ago)

I don't know what the hell is going on here, but i don't like it one little bit.

I often see the odd tu fong cruising around my place but today was out of control. Repeatedly buzzed while i was making the furniture and one even landed momentarily on my shoulder. I wasn't game to keep working and went back to the house to discover a bunch of them congregating on the shade cloth i've strung up just metres from the front door. They seem to be doing something, they're definitely communicating, but i don't know what. I'm concerned that they've either got a nest nearby or are planning on building one.[image]
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Tu Fong - Asian Giant Hornet

by dan, Friday, August 30, 2013, 08:54 (4105 days ago) @ dulan drift

I'd take some quick action on that. They could be offspring of a lone survivor of your old nest, having heard of the Evil Waiguoren through their oral traditions. And now they're planning their revenge, for their ancestors,for all Tu Fong.

Tu Fong - Asian Giant Hornet

by dulan drift ⌂, Friday, August 30, 2013, 12:23 (4104 days ago) @ dan

With my post AGH trauma, i could almost believe that! I will call 'the guys' in to check it out - see what they think. It really is quite unnerving to see that many gathering so close to my house.

Tu Fong - Asian Giant Hornet

by dan, Saturday, September 14, 2013, 08:12 (4090 days ago) @ dulan drift

Story found at http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/09/14/2003572127

"Hornets are a deadly threat: experts

EXTREME CAUTIONHornets can kill with two stings and are especially vicious this time of year as they seek to protect their nests before winter, authorities have warned

The authorities have again urged people to exercise extreme caution and wear protective clothing when hiking or walking in the wilderness, after yet another fatal hornet attack, the third this year.

The body of the latest victim, surnamed Liu (劉), was found on Monday in the hills of Hansi Village (寒溪村) in Yilan County’s Datong Township (大同).

Liu, a Chunghwa Telecom employee, heard that a colleague surnamed Huang (黃) had found large numbers of hornets buzzing around his property in the Yilan village.

Sixty-four-year-old Liu, who lived in New Taipei City (新北市), volunteered to remove the hornet nests. After successfully taking down and wrapping up one nest on Saturday last week, Liu went up again, alone, on Sunday to remove another nest, but he did not return that day.

Huang called the search and rescue team at the local fire department, and they recovered his body on Monday.

Liu was found wearing makeshift gear comprised of boots, a rubber raincoat, hat and head net, and with a towel wrapped around his neck. He had used tape to seal the gaps.

However, a rescue team member said there were holes and breaks in his clothing, and they found four hornets in the towel around his neck.

“His face was stung by hornets. The insects attacked him and entered through the holes and gaps in his clothing. He was not wearing the kind of protective gear worn by professionals. It seems he underestimated what the hornets could do,” search and rescue team captain Chen Po-ching (陳保慶) said.

Chen said they encountered large hornet swarms flying around the area, and three nests were found.

He said that the species in question is very aggressive and carries a highly toxic venom. A person can die from just two stings.

“The victim’s makeshift gear had lots of gaps, it was not thick enough, and wearing a towel around the neck could not protect him,” Chen said.

“People must not go removing hornet nests unless they are well-prepared and have the right type of professional protective gear,” he added.

The peak season for attacks is from August to November, when hornets are preparing for winter and will defend their nests against trespassers.

The hornets in this case were the Vespa ducalis species, known as “black-tailed tiger-head bees” (黑尾虎頭蜂), with bright orange-brown stripes and black at the anterior end.

This was the third reported fatality this year: A man, 47, working on a landscaping job at a school in Yilan County’s Jiaosi Township (礁溪) was killed by hornets on Aug. 7. A woman, 67, died from hornet stings at Taitung County’s Chihshang Township (池上) on Sept. 4."

Tu Fong - Asian Giant Hornet

by dulan drift ⌂, Saturday, September 14, 2013, 10:08 (4090 days ago) @ dan

Yeah, they really freak me out. Yesterday i had an Asian Giant repeatedly buzz me as i was working on the wood - in fact there seems to be a lot around this year. At least with a snake, you can see it and then back off, but there's no escaping a hornet once it decides to attack.
The time i was stung it was november - i believe they are more aggressive at the end of the season coz their nests are reaching their zenith. I have met people who seem to have a misplaced bravado (like the guy in the story) and mistakenly believe that you're only at danger if you have an allergic reaction. The thing is, everyone has an allergic reaction to these kinds of hornets. My advice is: Be afraid. Be very afraid.

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