I saw a documentary about them and they said wearing black is not a smart thing. They go for dark spots on the body.
When I was a kid I used to dig them out of the ground and sell the nest for the larvae to a fish bait shop. I had my special concoction to kill them off without damaging the nest or larvae. Leave it at the entrance to nest, leave overnight and the next day just dig them out.
Thatâs wasps not specifically hornets right ?
Asian hornet seem to be at a different level.
These hornets keep stinging I believe and thatâs why I think running away might be the best option. They also go for the head.
But I donât know for sure. As long as every member of the group can run togetherâŚdonât leave somebody behind !
Not leaving bait behind? 
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Log into IP and show them some threads. Theyâll be gone before you know it.
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Mention you want to debate covid with them and theyâll be likeâŚNot this shit againâŚIâm off.
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Havenât watched Coyote Peterson for a while.
Great if you want to know whatâs it like to be stung by all sorts of nasty creatures.
Their larvae are particularly delicious, and expensive! Turn the tables on them little murderous winged tanks! They are one of my exceptions being vegetarian.
Thankfully i am not allergic. I get stung every now and then, usually while logging. their stings create quite the euphoric high underneath the pain. Honestly though, i wouldnt worry while hiking, just be aware. As omeone else said, i always practice holding my breathe. They also follow air currents, so instead of swatting or running, i hold the bottoms of my shorts and slowly twist and move away. I wouldnt run unless you have somewhere nearby to run to fir protection. Like a building or car, then kill whichever ones followed you in. They tend to sound like drones. Now that drones are common, i always knee jerk and try to see a hornet swarm everytime i hear a drone flying around haha.
Trick with them, and all bees/wasps etc. If you are in need of killing them with your hands, never up and down. Always sideways. The stinger points down. Clap like normal, side to side, and never like a crocodiles jaw. Aim for a snap action, not a full smoosh. Give em the boot if they are only stunned on the ground. They will release chemicals and their buddies wont be thrilled. High tail out asap.
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I was trying to look for info online on how to prepare and avoid these guys. Iâve stepped into bee hives multiple times in my life and it sucks but these guys seem to be on another level.
Are these around in all elevations in Taiwan? Seems like they can sting through quite thick clothing, is there anything specific that would be better than others? Are the nests typically underground? Any time of day thatâs worse than others?
any other ways to prepare / avoid?
Never leave the house.
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You sir are a fount of wisdom today!
Guy
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I have done quite a lot of hiking in the low mountains of Taiwan, only encountered hornets once, and that was because some idiot took down a hive that was high up in a tree and it fell on the trail. Not very common I would say.
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Most deaths occur in the home.
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What seasons are they more common ?I saw two in taitung last month . But they arenât always going to attack. Sometimes they are just curious I guess⌠They have a very audible hum just like a drone as mentioned earlier.
Winter is low season. Very high elevations they are fare more rare. Most common in the lowland deciduous forests as they tend to hunt a lot of other bees. They eat meat, and arent that picky about eating other stuff. They often go towards high densities of larger insect populations that congregate on somethig (rather than flying insects). Think along the lines of beetles on trees eating sap/fruit or laying eggs. These hornets love that kind of thing. Things like black flies, dragon flies etc less so.
Many hiking trails, especially a low to mid elecation, have numerous yummy plants. So they tend to stick around there. Taiung has lots further into human development just because there are more farms mixed with humans there. There are lots of bee farms as well, i see hornets often in such regions. Be it east, west or north. We have had scouts in our house many times this year. They went to the flouro ligts immediately. I presume they were smelling out ant nests, or geckos or something.
My take on it is if you have 1 flying around you, just stop and breath slow. I pull my shirt up over my nose and walk away with causing much air current. If you hear âdronesâ, aka a swarm, i would say running somewhere safe isnt a terrible idea. They arent literally trying to hunt us for food. But they arent scared of us (or anything) and will swarm and kill shit. They seem to have evolved without a fear sensory unit haha.
If a single one is flying around you vs a single one wants to attack youâŚyou will know the difference quite easily!
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Here is one of 5 we saw today while moving some trees. 6cm. Pretty big, and the only one we could snap a pic and catch. Was happily gnawing on some ants on the tree, but I really crap pic. Sorry, my phone is horrible. Just wanted to attempt to show 2 things:
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Their eating habit of eating stuff mostly on trees and ther plants (eg. Less so flying hunters)
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They are not actually truly aggressive, they simply have a short fuse. These pics were taken about 30cm away over 2 minutes.
I treat these guys like i would if i were married to Mike Tyson 20 years ago. Probably a whatever type of guy that wont hurt you if you are just sittin there minding your own business. But breathe, talk or move wrong and you will feel the wrath of uncontrolled hormonal hatred.
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Iâm glad my sonâs encounter was with a wasp, not a hornet, then!
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Basically allergies are always bad. From a tiger head to a bumblebee. If we have no issues with allergies, a sting or 2 from any species is nothing more than a painful experience. i have had numerous stings, but my worst was a tiger head which went necrotic while i was in the mountains for the week. I still have a good 3cm scar from the dead black patch that lasted a month. Hurts, but if being honest once we think past the stinging aspect, their chemistry creates a truly euphoric type feeling. Aside from the pain, it was actually quite pleasant. your sons eye, touch wood, looks quite alright and he will hopefully forget about it by the end of the holliday 
I have, along with numerous others, used less dangerous species of bees intentionally on my knees while working. Grab them, get them to sting. It creates a fascinating type of painkiller that i am having a hard time remebering how to describe. I learned about it from logger friends back in canada that had really painful arthritis. Certain kinds of stinging nettle can also work, but the ones i have tried in taiwan are a bit high on the sting to pain releif ratio.
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Indeed.
By the time he woke up, he was back to running and laughing, as if nothing has happened.
