Killing hornets/wasps

[George2615]

I use Raid wasp and hornet spray. It shoots a stream about 20'. I'd saturate that nest several times before attempting removal. You could also hire a professional to remove it. I recently cut down and dug out 6 tree stumps. 2 of them had nests in the ground and I got hit about 5 times before I could get off the BH. Went to the store and bought 6 cans and when I came back I saw where the hole was and used up 2 cans directly in the holes. Came back about 4 hours later and used 2 more cans. The next day I didn't see any activity but used 1 more can before starting to be sure. Maybe I got lucky but I was able to remove the rest of the stumps without incident.

 

[davesl708]

Don't rule out the flame thrower on a propane tank as a quick fix to the problem.

 

[downsizingnow48]

View attachment 482103

this is the best I have ever used , It kills on contact . the wasp on the nest die and never fly and stay stuck 2 the nest. Its has a little straw that helps with the aim. I would get 2 cans and spray the **** out of them.

I use the same stuff it is great.

 

[Pilot]

1. Get the foaming kind of spray. It says around alittle longer so that hornets leaving the nest come in contact with it and die. The non-foaming stuff evaporates too fast.
2. Low temps are your friend, especially around 45 degrees or so. I've run over YJ nests with the tractor, stopped the tractor, lowered the blade, shut it off, then got down & ran. 1 followed me for about 40 feet and a short run lost it. Another time I was on a slash pile; there was a nest in the pile. You have to get down off a pile carefully or you could break a leg; I didn't get stung. Had other events, never got stung with low temps. You might be safe at 50 degrees F but I wouldn't push it at any higher temps.
3 Exterminator: Twice, I had exterminators here to kill carpenter ants & asked if they would take on a hornet nest while they were here. Said, "Sure." & didn't suit up, just approached the nest carefully & sprayed away.

 

[Gem99ultra]

motownbrowne, I did capture a black hornet nest once like you described. HUGE nest - about 18 inches in diameter on a scrub tree. Sacked it up when the temp was down around 30 degrees. Took it home, put the sack in the shop. Behold - the next day all of those hornets came to life in the warmer shop. I carefully carried the sack outside and left it for about a month. Later, mounted the nest on a plaque, glued some of the hornets around on the nest, and used it for a conversation piece.

davesl780, I do have a propane weed burner. And believe me, that was exactly my first thought - burn those suckers! But, a forest fire in those dry pine trees all around gave me second thoughts... fortunately.

I did go ahead a pick up a couple of cans of the CRC hornet spray. Emptied both of them on the nest a while ago. I give them a couple of days and give them another bath. Hopefully that'll take care of that problem.

 

[mapper]

Around here there is a guy who collects yellow jacket and hornet nests, he comes out for free to do so. They vacuum up the bugs and collect the brood to add to a big colony that they keep back at their place of business. I have had them out a couple times this year, one was for a nest near the end of a branch on an Apple tree that I mow under, the branch had sagged under the weight of the fruit putting the nest at face level from the mower, I saw it just in time to swerve around it, don't want to think about what would have happened if I didn't see it in time!
For yellow jacket nests in the ground I have found that a couple of ounces of gasoline down the hole works almost instantly to kill them. And if you are feeling really vindictive a lit match will give you a warm feeling as well. Just make sure the fire danger is low so you don't light up a bit more than you intended!

 

[CobyRupert]

Around here there is a guy who collects yellow jacket and hornet nests, he comes out for free to do so. They vacuum up the bugs and collect the brood to add to a big colony that they keep back at their place of business.

Why would they want yellow jackets & hornets?

I just retrieved a swarm of honey bees from a house a couple weeks ago. I thought it was a swarm on the underside of the eve that I could easily knock into a box and take home, but after I got into it, it was really a big ball of bees covering up comb, with the rest of the hive, comb (and the queen!) inside the house and unobtainable (without taking apart a lot more of this strangers house than I bargained for.)

Needless to say the bees were very mad someone was coming for their honey, comb and half the colony. They were also very mad when I got them home in a hive without their queen. Must of got stung 20+ times over the course of 3-4 days getting them, bringing home and checking in on them and unsuccessfully looking for the queen. Actually got stung on a sting (from the day before)! Once they put that "sting here" pheromone on you it might as well be a bull's-eye.
I did get them a new queen, they seem better now. Will find out this weekend when I open the hive up.

 

[mapper]

They have contracts with a company that extracts the venom to produce allergy desensitization medications.
They will often not collect types for which there is no demand, there is a type of yellow jacket around here called the prairie yellow jacket, there is no demand (limited range? Only the folks living on the South Puget Sound Prairies that are affected?), so they won't collect them. Mind you these are just as aggressive and nasty as any other yellow jacket, so get out the poison.

 

[/pine]

FWIW...the larva worms inside hornet/yellow jacket nests etc...are great fish bait...trout love them...they are especially effective when a stream is slightly turbid after a storm...

 

[mapper]

FWIW...the larva worms inside hornet/yellow jacket nests etc...are great fish bait...trout love them...they are especially effective when a stream is slightly turbid after a storm...

We have a European paper wasp around here that's pretty docile, it builds a open paper nest without a cone around it. When I knock them off my eves the cats love the larvae in them - yum paper wrapped snacks. :garfield: