On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 09:48:55 +0000, Peter Twydell wrote:

One stung me on the calf while I was trying to destroy its nest ...

Self defence, well defence of the nest.

Next attempt at destruction was in our present house, a converted barn.
The little devils had built their nest inside the wall, and you could
hear them literally eating the house.

No, you could hear them scratching about they don't build from or damage
sound timber. They make the "paper" for their nests from wood that has
started to break down. The grey fibrous stuff after exposure to sunlight
is a favorite.

One zoomed at me and got me on the eyebrow.

Defence again. If some fecking great monster came along trying to destroy
your home you'd use what you had available to try and stop it.

--
Cheers
Dave.