Pigs and hornets...

[mrsmojos]

Hello,
Does anyone know if it is safe for pigs to live alongside hornets??
I was measuring up for a pig pen area this morning before getting the fencing ordered, and noticed a lot of hornets flying around the tree canopies - they looked european as they had yellow bodies.
I spent around half an hour looking for a hive of somesort, but didn't find anything.
I like the idea of putting the pig pen under the canopy of trees so they have shade in the summer, plus there's a gentle slope so any slurry can drain away.
But I am not going to endanger the weaners if there's a risk of them getting stung - help!!!
All advice greatly appreciated!!

 

[Agri-WMH]

Hello,
Does anyone know if it is safe for pigs to live alongside hornets??
I was measuring up for a pig pen area this morning before getting the fencing ordered, and noticed a lot of hornets flying around the tree canopies - they looked european as they had yellow bodies.
I spent around half an hour looking for a hive of somesort, but didn't find anything.
I like the idea of putting the pig pen under the canopy of trees so they have shade in the summer, plus there's a gentle slope so any slurry can drain away.
But I am not going to endanger the weaners if there's a risk of them getting stung - help!!!
All advice greatly appreciated!!

So you have any willow there? Not 100% on hornets but wasps love willow sap, waspbane products aren’t aimed at hornets but one of my customers has caught loads this summer In theirs, sorry can’t really help with the effects of their sting on the weaners but I’d imagine it wouldn’t be particularly nice for them, although hornets in general aren’t as nasty as wasps are.

 

[mrsmojos]

So you have any willow there? Not 100% on hornets but wasps love willow sap, waspbane products aren’t aimed at hornets but one of my customers has caught loads this summer In theirs, sorry can’t really help with the effects of their sting on the weaners but I’d imagine it wouldn’t be particularly nice for them, although hornets in general aren’t as nasty as wasps are.

We do have willow but it's in a different field, so the willow is around 50m or so away, and yes, they were there all summer, so much that I wouldn't cut around it! Bizzarely, we have chickens next to the willow, but the chucks have never been bothered???
The trees where the hornets fly are a mix of oak, sycamore and hazel, would that attract hornets?

 

[Agri-WMH]

We do have willow but it's in a different field, so the willow is around 50m or so away, and yes, they were there all summer, so much that I wouldn't cut around it! Bizzarely, we have chickens next to the willow, but the chucks have never been bothered???
The trees where the hornets are obvious are by a mix of oak, sycamore and hazel, would that attract hornets?

There are sweet carbohydrates in many tree saps that they will enjoy, I would imagine they are after that as well as any bark stripping they will have done to build a nest.

If you have been seeing a lot all summer I would imagine you do/have had a nest nearby, they will build them up in trees and also in hedges/bushes, although as I say, they aren’t very aggressive compared to wasps so will mostly leave you alone, the chucks on the other hand will probably enjoy them as a snack, we all know how un-fussy they are when it comes to eating anything that moves including mice, shrews and frogs!

 

[mrsmojos]

There are sweet carbohydrates in many tree saps that they will enjoy, I would imagine they are after that as well as any bark stripping they will have done to build a nest.

If you have been seeing a lot all summer I would imagine you do/have had a nest nearby, they will build them up in trees and also in hedges/bushes, although as I say, they aren’t very aggressive compared to wasps so will mostly leave you alone, the chucks on the other hand will probably enjoy them as a snack, we all know how un-fussy they are when it comes to eating anything that moves including mice, shrews and frogs!

Thanks for the advice. Muchly appreciated!

 

[Agri-WMH]

Thanks for the advice. Muchly appreciated!

No problem!