This page was translated from Hebrew and has not been reviewed yet. The Hebrew page is the reference. עברית

Hornets' Cave, Nahal Paran, Negev

Location: West of Nahal Paran
Elevation: 311 m above sea level

Description of the cave:

Hornets' Cave is a small cave with a single space that developed in flint and chalk of Senonian age (Mishash Formation). The cave entrance opens at the bottom of the cliff of the western bank of a wide channel draining into Nahal Paran from the north. The entrance dimensions are 2.5X4.5 m, its shape is arch-like and it stands out from afar. From the cave entrance extends west a horizontal space with a sooty ceiling in which 2 large bulbous protrusions stand out near the entrance. About 4 m from the cave entrance the ceiling slopes down, and the cave space continues with a width equal to the width of the entrance and an average height of 1.2 m. The space floor is covered with loose soil and a few stones, its ceiling is horizontal and completely covered with hundreds of nests of mud-dauber wasps. These nests are almost certainly the source of the cave's name, which appears so on the topographic maps. In addition to the wasps, the following were seen in the cave: hyrax droppings and the jaw of a large mammal.

Notes:

The cave entrance can be reached on foot from the bed of Nahal Paran (the cave is located within a nature reserve).
It is possible that cave ticks are present in the cave.
During the visit to the cave two individuals of the Negev horseshoe bat species were seen (identified from a photograph by Amit Dolev).

Written by: Boaz Langford