REALLY frightening!

When we leave the house we always close the shutters outside the doors and windows.  When we arrived back after some 5 weeks away I went round the house opening the windows and shutters.  Nothing unusual.  Done it frequently over the last 8 years.

On this occasion, when I opened the bathroom window (double glazed), I heard a really loud buzzing sound.  When I looked I realised there was a huge nest containing yellow and black flying insects.  Wasps?  Bees?  Hornets?  I didn't stop to look!  I slammed the window shut, fled the bathroom and firmly closed the door behind me.  I was very shaken.

Deciding to do nothing further that night I went to bed.  The following morning, still half asleep, I got up and opened the bedroom window.  Again I was met by a really loud buzzing sound.  Wiser now, I slammed the window shut even quicker before any inhabitants could escape into the room.

Again there was a huge nest built between the window and the closed shutter.  However on this occasion having managed to contain them, I was now able to inspect them (not that I was able to open the shutters!) through the closed window.  On balance they looked to me more like bees than wasps or hornets.

Luckily we have local friends who keep bees.  They kindly pitched up, donned their spaceman protective gear and bravely entered both the bathroom and the bedroom.  Some many hours later they emerged triumphant with the 2 bee colonies safely relocated into portable hives.

I'm totally in favour of life in Italy being new and exciting but this was REALLY frightening.  And why now, after 8 years?  Have any of you had a similar experience?

bees good.  calabroni bad.  asian calabroni very bad - you were lucky and should buy honey to celebrate - looking on the positive side.

Thank God it was bees and not wasps, particularly the terrible Asian ones! Glad they were relocated....

Well done for rescuing our precious bees...our beautiful world is nothing without bees