I, too, didn't know hornets are docile and less likely to attack than honey bees. All my life I've been told they are vicious and extremely dangerous, and I've been terrified of them! I've never 'needed' to destroy a nest, but I'll certainly care for them in future and spread the word. I live in the country, and it saddens me that so often country folk spread harmful confusion about wildlife instead of finding out the truth about the beautiful creatures around them - we've been told in all innocence that magpies, rooks and moorhens should be killed because they destroy other wildlife; the same goes for foxes and eagles who, it's sometimes claimed, destroy a farmers livelihood. I'm ashamed that I hadn't made an effort to check the truth about hornets, and am glad you've highlighted the real problem. But it's true that people with compromised immune systems can react very badly - I have a friend with just that problem. She was seriously ill after she was stung by a wasp the other day, and she has hornets in and around her house. What can she do to protect herself?
