Bald faced hornets? - Page 1

Posted: 9/19/2017 7:12:30 PM EDT

My wife found a hornet nest above my shop in a large oak tree today. It was huge, bigger than a basketball. I don't have the money for an exterminator so I took care of it myself. It was too high to spray. I put on a heavy sweatshirt, painters hood, gloves, boots, etc. 15 rounds of 12ga high brass #4 pheasant loads through a full choke and the nest is completely gone. I went through a few cans of wasp spray hosing the pieces that fell and anything that moved. My question is will any survivors rebuild close by? What can you do to discourage them? I live on a 5 acre lot in the woods. There is no stopping nature here, but can I do anything?

Posted: 9/19/2017 7:32:04 PM EDT

[#1]

I'm not an expert, but there was a one of their paper nests near my patio last summer and in to the fall. After reading about them, I decided to just wait for the hive to go away for the winter, and that happened. They haven't come back this year.

Posted: 9/19/2017 7:56:37 PM EDT

[#2]

How effective was your PPE? How far were you?

Posted: 9/19/2017 8:00:54 PM EDT

[#3]

It was cool and raining so I think I got most of them. They should have been mostly in the nest. I didn't want to wait till winter. It was only about 10' from my kids' basketball backboard. I didn't want any accidents with my kids. I don't know how I never noticed it.

Posted: 9/19/2017 8:05:17 PM EDT

[#4]

Quote History

Quoted:
How effective was your PPE? How far were you?

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I only had one come after me while reloading after the first 5 shells. No stings. It was about 20' - 25' high and I was about 10-15' to the side in case it fell intact. Close enough to spray, far enough to run if need be.

Posted: 9/19/2017 8:10:36 PM EDT

[#5]

I had a big wasp nest the other day on my house...

I had some left over Tempo Ultra SC and a super soaker.

It worked very perfectly.

Posted: 9/19/2017 8:12:31 PM EDT

[#6]

I also live with forest surrounding me I've laid waste to Yellow Jackets and Hornets nests, my experience has been that once destroyed they don't rebuild in the same area.

Posted: 9/21/2017 12:18:35 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
My wife found a hornet nest above my shop in a large oak tree today. It was huge, bigger than a basketball. I don't have the money for an exterminator so I took care of it myself. It was too high to spray. I put on a heavy sweatshirt, painters hood, gloves, boots, etc. 15 rounds of 12ga high brass #4 pheasant loads through a full choke and the nest is completely gone. I went through a few cans of wasp spray hosing the pieces that fell and anything that moved. My question is will any survivors rebuild close by? What can you do to discourage them? I live on a 5 acre lot in the woods. There is no stopping nature here, but can I do anything?

View Quote

I doubt you will have issues.

Honestly, if you have any wooded areas near you, then you are going to have nests. But that's not because you somehow failed in your extermination efforts.

If you blew away their nest and killed off most of their population, they're going to die. A few might hang around your area until winter, because where else are they going to go once their colony is gone?

But they will die with the cold weather.

I have to say, if you actually shot down a hornet's nest wearing only a sweatshirt on your arms and torso?

You have balls of steel.

That is all.

Posted: 9/21/2017 1:41:09 PM EDT

[#8]

It is too late in the season, at least around here for any thought of rebuilding. I noticed a big white faced hornet nest in the maple tree in my front yard about a week ago. It is huge and obviously has been there all summer but they've left me alone so I will let them be.

Lower latitudes correlate with longer life cycles. In Indiana, colonies were observed to begin in early May and terminate in late September, a life cycle of five months (153 days), and in Central California nests are initiated as early as the end of March. These nests survive between 155 and 170 days.[5] Active colonies have been observed in central Pennsylvania as late as mid-October.

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Posted: 9/21/2017 1:47:08 PM EDT

[#9]

I hate bald face hornets with a passion. I destroyed my first nest in similar fashion after getting stung in the neck by one.

I have never seen a nest get rebuilt in the same area after a half decent destruction.

Posted: 9/22/2017 8:15:05 AM EDT

[#10]

Have two or three nests every year. Harmless unless you mess with the nest. Colony dies out at end of year. I can get up to a hundred dollars for a good nest.

Posted: 9/22/2017 9:25:16 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
Have two or three nests every year. Harmless unless you mess with the nest. Colony dies out at end of year. I can get up to a hundred dollars for a good nest.

View Quote

We only ever got extra credit in science class for bringing them in. lol. When I was young I remember muzzle loader shooters using the wasp "paper" inbetween the powder charge and the patched ball to stop the patch from burning. I never knew anyone would actually buy them though.

Posted: 9/22/2017 9:52:16 AM EDT

[#12]

i used a pressure washer on them and a shotgun.

so far they got the message and went to a lower part of town.......

Posted: 10/3/2017 10:29:17 PM EDT

[#13]

last year I had a hive rebuild the nest three times. I didn't let it get very big before I propane torched it, about volley ball size. I didn't ever have one chase me, or any problems, other than rebuilding. The ones I'm talking about was a white striped hornet. The only thing resembling was the bald faced hornet.

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Outdoors » Homestead, Farm & Garden

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