Autumn in France is greater than only a season of mellow fruitfulness. It’s additionally the time, because the leaves fall from the bushes, that an rising variety of hornets’ nests are noticed. And folks have to act in the event that they see one.
Hornets are often not an issue at the moment of yr. By mid-November, when the turning of the calendar in direction of winter reveals many nests, chances are high that any nest has lengthy been deserted. At some level, it is going to be destroyed naturally, however this course of can take a number of months.
The very last thing, nonetheless, you need to uncover is that bees, wasps or hornets have made a nest in or round your French property, and this generally is a downside for second-home homeowners whose properties are empty for lengthy intervals.
The Asian hornet, which appeared in France 20 years in the past and has since unfold extensively, is accountable for an estimated 20 % of bee deaths in France. In 2024 French senators got here up with a plan to deal with the insect.
Experts in France say autumn is the time to behave to forestall the numbers of the extra extra problematic Asian hornets rising subsequent summer season.
“This is the essential time to entice the queens,” Christian Gourven, president of an area affiliation in Brittany that fights in opposition to the unfold of Asian hornets.
“The queens depart the nest to refill on provisions earlier than hibernating. If we catch them now, meaning fewer nests subsequent spring,” he informed Ouest France.
“In latest days, now we have found quite a few nests, not solely in bushes, but in addition in backyard sheds and youngsters’s playhouses. This reveals how nicely the species adapts to our surroundings,” mentioned Gourven.
Nests will be particularly worrying for individuals who are allergic to stings. As at all times, the primary and most essential factor is to not panic. There are well-established methods in place to cope with an undesirable nest.
Hornets (les frelons)
Hornets usually construct their nests in hedges, bushes, or excessive in bushes — however they’re additionally identified to arrange dwelling in garages, attics, and below the eaves.
Home homeowners are suggested to examine bushes and hedges of their gardens, particularly in the event that they discover hornets within the neighborhood.
Do this fastidiously, nonetheless. Hornets, particularly the invasive and harmful Asian hornets, will be aggressive and are identified to assault for those who come inside a couple of metres of the nest.
A single sting is painful however not often harmful for anybody who isn’t allergic. But Asian hornets usually assault in teams, leaving victims with a number of stings.
If you notice a nest in your property, the most secure and best plan of action is to name knowledgeable to destroy it. An simple strategy to discover them is to look on-line for “frelons asiatiques nid” and your location.
The price of destroying a nest in your property is determined by how accessible it’s, and the place you reside, however anticipate to pay as a lot as €260. Depending on the place you reside, native authorities could assist with the fee, so contact your mairie.
You must also contact the mairie for those who see a nest, or quite a few hornets, in a public space, particularly whether it is situated someplace that could be a hazard to people.
Once native officers have been knowledgeable, they may place a discover within the neighborhood to tell the general public of its presence.
You may report the presence of Asian hornets to the Fédérations Régionales de Défense contre les Organismes Nuisibles (FREDON).
Bees (les abeilles)
Almost everybody likes bees and the bugs themselves are each endangered and important to our ecosystems.
We’re used to seeing their nests in man-made hives, with honeycombs constructed on frames inside a wood field. You may not essentially see a pure ‘wild’ beehive, as they are typically inside a gap or cavity, so the obvious clue that there’s one in your property is a large improve within the variety of bees at a sure space.
If you see a single bee hovering round a gap, don’t fear. There are greater than 1,000 species of bee in France alone. Most of them are solitary.
If you possibly can see the hive itself, it should include plenty of vertical wax ‘truffles’, which comprise 1000’s of larvae, and might be lined in bees.
If you’ve a wild bees’ nest in your property, the most effective factor to do is depart it alone, for those who can. A nest in an inaccessible hole tree on the very far finish of the backyard most likely isn’t going to hassle anybody.
But for those who discover one indoors or one which you can’t depart alone for different causes, contact an area beekeeper or a bee safety affiliation as a result of bees are each important and endangered, they at all times attempt to gather the colony and place it in a hive in a safer location.
If security causes imply the nest can’t be collected, it could must be destroyed. In this case, some professionals will discover a strategy to compensate for the destruction of the nest by creating a brand new swarm and permitting it to settle someplace safely.
Wasps (les guêpes)
Wasps wish to construct their nests in sheltered areas with easy accessibility outdoor, like roof areas, wall cavities, chicken packing containers, hole bushes, below eaves, garages or sheds.
They appear to be they’re fabricated from paper, which they stunning a lot are, because the wasps create them utilizing chewed-up wooden.
Unlike bees, few of us truly like wasps. But the irritating stripey little gits do have an essential position as a pollinator and likewise as a pest controller, so for those who can depart the nest alone, it’s finest to take action for environmental causes.
However, as with bees, that is generally inconceivable. So the most secure course is to name knowledgeable pest management firm for recommendation. Costs range between €150 and €250 relying on how simple it’s to get to the nest.
Remember, additionally, and once more as with bees, some wasp species are solitary. One or two wasps hovering about aren’t trigger for concern.
