Hornets

[JoulesH]

Whilst clearing the grate in the rarely used front room ready for Christmas, I found a dead hornet in the fireplace - I presume it's a hornet from the size of it and its brown and yellow markings. My book says they are becoming quite rare in the Midlands and South East - is this the case? We have plenty of old hollow trees and old buildings on our farm so are a good site.

[aeshna5]

I'm not sure how old your book is but they are fairly widespread in suitable habitat in the south-east + beyond.

[Geoff F]

Like many insects, and other wildlife, numbers will always vary considerably depending on suitable habitat, etc. There will always be hotspots and barren areas.

For instance, in the South West I found one hornet, and just managed a quick snap of it, 3 years ago. This was the first for many years and I haven't seen another despite spending quite a lot of time searching for various insects.

Other people may well regard them as being relatively common.