Wasps in the rubbish

[Headers]

My friends sister lives south of Bordeaux - not sure where but they have a rubbish system where you take it to a collection point and put it in the bennes. She did this at the weekend and opened the bin lid to pop in the rubbish and was attacked by a swarm of wasps! Ended up in hospital and was given a EpiPen.

I do the rubbish run and have never thought about the chance of wasps in our bennes. They are emptied twice a week.

[exile]

I can only imagine that some individual has managed to drop a nest into a black bag or similar and has then dumped the bag into the bins. A nest of say a few tens of wasps takes at least a week to establish* and the bennes should be emptied much more frequently than that.

I am so sorry for your friends sister.

I have issues with wasp stings having been stung on the eyelid at age 10. I now have a string reaction to stings. I do however have a strong respect for these very useful insects and would not be going around at war with them.

* Some sources say that some species (not specified) only need a few (not specified) days. Even so I would expect communal collection bins to have been cleared more quickly.

[Headers]

I can only imagine that some individual has managed to drop a nest into a black bag or similar and has then dumped the bag into the bins. A nest of say a few tens of wasps takes at least a week to establish* and the bennes should be emptied much more frequently than that.

I am so sorry for your friends sister.

I have issues with wasp stings having been stung on the eyelid at age 10. I now have a string reaction to stings. I do however have a strong respect for these very useful insects and would not be going around at war with them.

* Some sources say that some species (not specified) only need a few (not specified) days. Even so I would expect communal collection bins to have been cleared more quickly.

I wondered if that was the case. Our bennes are being emptied twice weekly at the moment. I’m not sure exactly where this happened.

[Lori]

Insects have been particularly bad this year where we are (NE Dordogne), wasps are everywhere. Thanks for the reminder for us to be careful when lifting the bennes. Ours are emptied once per week.

Would not have thought about it, but I guess just about anything could be in there. Snake included..

[exile]

Snakes that are venomous to humans are rather rare in France, so I would not be overly concerned.

[Lori]

Snakes that are venomous to humans are rather rare in France, so I would not be overly concerned.

I'll ask you to take my trash to the benne then.

[Polly]

I’m thankful that wasps aren’t around us in the UK this year - I’m allergic to wasp stings and carry 2 epipens all the time, though ours here have had a different manufacturer from a few years ago.

[Trelawney]

Not many wasps around in the centre of France which pleases us humans and our dog. What this thread has taught me is the meaning of “benne”. I guessed correctly due to the context but don’t remember anyone saying it or seeing it written down in our waste collection letters. The word seems to cover a wide range of containers from simple bins to monster collection vehicles.

[hughnique]

Also a tipper truck Benne!

[exile]

Snakes that are venomous to humans are rather rare in France, so I would not be overly concerned.

I'll ask you to take my trash to the benne then.

The French way to deal with snakes is to smash their brains out with a spade or similar, so any dumped bodies will be just that (dead) bodies. Sadly that includes the many that are harmless to us - and even our pets. Over the weekend OH recovered the body of a juvenile Western Whip Snake from the mouth of one of our cats.

Snakes of their own volition would have little reason to climb by themselves into a bin - under perhaps, but not the strenuous climb up and in.

Of the French venomous snakes (4), half are rare to the point of being endangered. The two most likely to be encountered are the adder and the closely related asp viper - more likely in the Dordogne but both are present. Both are acutely aware of our presence by virtue of the vibrations we create on the ground as we walk and will aim to escape before we arrive. Only if there is no escape route are they likely to strike and backing away would provide that escape in most cases.

In France there have been four deaths since 2001 due to snake bites - that may now be 5 following a death yesterday of an 18 year old near La Plagne.


UK deaths from adders is set at 14

in the last 145 years.


So @Lori you really have virtually nothing to fear

Snakes get a bad press but are generally a lot less of a hazard in France walking round a shopping centre.