May wildlife 2014

[David Nicholson]

........................Cut lemons  studded with cloves  are said to deter them as well.

What if they're gourmet wasps?   Sorry Chris, I know it's no joke. I think they are looking for nesting sites and if you try the remedies suggested they'll go where they are made more welcome.

[Gerry]

Whatever you do, don't do what I did as a bairn, poke with a stick then run.....

[Anthony Darby]

I used to use a jam jar with an inch of watery strawberry jam in the bottom and a pencil thick hole in the lid. At least wasps die out in the winter in the northern hemisphere. Introduced European wasps don't in New Zealand and nests can be huge. The largest wasp nest ever recorded was found on a farm at Waimaukau, New Zealand, in April 1963. Despite being composed of wood scrapings mashed up with saliva into a papier-mâché like substance, it was so heavy that it had fallen from the tree in which it had been hanging onto the ground, where it had then split into two. When whole, it measured 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in) long, and was 1.75 m (5.25 ft) in diameter and approximately 5.5 m (18 ft) in circumference. It had probably been constructed by introduced German wasps (Vespula germanica).

[mark smyth]

I think, like Anthony has said, the wasps are coming to your greenhouse to chew wood to make their nest/s. So many queen wasps in the garden this year. Large numbers have survived the mild winter. This august will be a bad wasp month

[ChrisB]

I think you are right Mark.  They are really big much bigger than the ones we see in late summer.  I've managed to dispose of 5 so far as I'm not taking any chances.  They do seem a lot less active than normal wasps in terms of how much flying they do and I have found some outside that have died without my intervention.

[Natalia]

Ant on flowers  Coptis trifolia.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Went to Belmont near Faversham, Kent today and saw this huge snail on the lawn - 8cms long.

[Margaret]

L'escargot on the loose!

[Anthony Darby]

Helix pomatia, the Roman snail.

[jandals]

He's lost then if he's in Kent - or he is following the roman army back home?

[Steve Garvie]

He's lost then if he's in Kent - or he is following the roman army back home?

The last lonely survivor of the lost IXth Legion?

[Anthony Darby]

This is what Wiki says: "Great Britain: in the west and south of England in southern areas on chalk soils. Its common name in the UK is "Roman snail" because it was introduced to the island by the Romans during the Roman period (AD 43–410). In England only (not the rest of the UK), the Roman snail is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it illegal to kill, injure, collect or sell these snails.

[David Nicholson]

.............................In England only (not the rest of the UK), the Roman snail is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it illegal to kill, injure, collect or sell these snails.

Ah, but do the snails know that?

[Anthony Darby]

This one clearly did, otherwise it wouldn't have been a roamin' snail.

[Maggi Young]

Not exactly wildlife - but an  animal safety issue-  if you've ever thought the fad for "skylanterns" that seems so rife these days was at BEST a really DAFT idea, here is the proof:
"A sky lantern landed on horse's rug in field which then set on fire Picture is off Facebook "

These damn lanterns should be banned Look at the state of this poor horse- badly burned and in great pain



Edit:  Hmm, this photo might not be all it seems to be - this report shows what seems to be the same animal- deliberately set fire in the USA - http://www.nbc4i.com/story/20748455/burned-horse-northstar-improving-at-osu   - which is even worse - so many cruel and idiotic halfwits about -  even so , the sky lantern is still an accident waiting to happen and I do believe should be proscribed.