Recently we have been busy with leading mushroom events and at this time of year our heads are usually pointing down looking through the leaf litter searching for our next Cep. However, on one of our Edible Mushroom Workshops earlier in Sept we stumbled across a Hornet's nest at a site in Rochdale.
Now, considering I have only seen a single dead Hornet before in Rochdale in all the years I have been there, to stumble across an active nest was somewhat of a shock. In fact there are no confirmed records of any nests in Greater Manchester let alone Rochdale.
These gentle giants may pack a hefty sting, but you would really, really have to upset them to feel it, they are calm unlike their smaller cousins wasps!
This is probably not an isolated case, many sightings are coming to light this summer in areas that Hornets have not usually been seen, the long, hot, dry summer may have helped them spread further north. So perhaps this is an insect we are going to be able to enjoy locally in the future.
Let us know if you have seen any near you this year.
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