Philadelphia Thief Who Stole a Shop-Vac Full of Hornets In for a Surprise
A thief in the Frankford section of Northeast Philly made off with what they thought was an ordinary shop-vac. It turns out that the thief is in for quite a surprise when the thief finds out the ‘new’ shop-vac is full of hornets.
This morning we spoke with Don Shump, owner of Philadelphia Bee Company, whose shop-vac it was. He had just finished a job where he had to remove a large amount of European hornets from a home. The vacuum was sitting in the bed of the pickup because the bees were trying to make their escape. I can only assume if a bunch of pissed-off hornets do get out, it’s probably best they’re not inside your house. That guy better hope the bees trickle out of that shop vac as opposed to him opening the lid and hundreds coming pouring out directly at him. Hey, you reap what you sow, right?
Don did post something of a message or warning on his Facebook to the unsuspecting owner of a bunch of European hornet queens.
“The vacuum was there because it was filled with European hornet queens, the largest social stinging insects in the eastern United States. I performed the removal of their nest late yesterday afternoon. Those girls should be full of life and extra spicy. I anxiously await your unboxing video.”
Penn State has a pretty detailed website about hornets in our area. This little nugget from the site spells bad news for the guy who stole the shop-vac: “Most nests only contain 1,500–3,000 cells Nest size peaks in mid-September, when most nests contain 200–400 workers although large nests may have up to 1,000 workers.”
So if you’re in the Philadelphia area and need to know how this ends, stay tuned to the police blotter or emergency calls. When you hear an individual is being chased by a large cloud of angry hornets, led by a bunch of hornet queens, that’s our thief!
7 Farms In The Delaware Valley With Pumpkin Picking This Fall
Styer Orchard
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Styer Orchard is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9 am- 6 pm for pick-your-own. The last hayride of the day takes off at 5:30 pm. Hayride is free. Dogs are welcome.
Solly Brother's Farm
Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images
Solly Brother’s Farm has been family-owned and operated since 1920. They offer the fun of harvesting a wide variety of pumpkins. Activities include hayrides, face painting, pumpkin painting, and more. The farm has also straw, gourds, fall squash, Indian corn, corn stalks, cider, fall decorations, candy apples, freshly baked pies, soups, and much more available for sale.
Winding Brook Farm
Winding Brook Farm‘s pumpkin patch is open through October. They have hayrides available for $4 per person, but if you get a combo ticket, you can also access the corn maze!
