Problem with Bald-faced hornets

[kenmbz]

We had them here, small baseball sized nests in bushes and under eaves, 5 total.
They are aggressive and do leave guards out at night.
Found one with a hedge trimmer and luckily they went after the hedge trimmer and not me.

Found 2 queens hibernating (became permanent) in my wood pile, and have not seen them this year yet...
Easy to get at night with the long distance wasp spray, do not use a flashlight.

I had one chase me while I was working IN my garage. that was not fun...

 

[RjCorazza]

Bald face hornets are closely related to yellow jackets, but I have never seen them nesting in the ground. Always a paper football shaped nest, sometimes very large.
I have been stung by the bald face hornets twice, once after bumping a tree trunk with the mower, and the other while eradicating a large nest. Single stings each time while running like a track star. Both species will pursue you for further than you'd think.
I use a dry powder insecticide with diatomaceous earth (Drione?) in a powder puffer thingy. For the most part I can walk up to the nest, puff a few shots of the powder right in the entrance, and walk away. Initially they don't react to it as a threat... In maybe 15 seconds they come pouring out on the ground with some able to fly. Best to be gone by then!
I HATE both the bald faced and yellow jackets. I got stung up last week while mowing a customer's lawn, and I was not able to locate the nest.

 

[kubota4me]

Will dynamite get rid of them

 

[MossRoad]

Will dynamite get rid of them

Maybe. Be sure to record a video of it, if you try, though. We’d all like to see that.

With my luck, the blast would go off and a chunk of the nest would land at my feet!

 

[MossRoad]

We have a hard pear tree that has abundant crops of pears that are too hard to eat. They rot form the inside out. Once they get a small rot hole in them, the bald faced hornets love to get in there and eat the rotting pear flesh. It’s something to grab a pear off of the ground, feel it buzzing in your hand, turn it over, and see three hornets in there chowing down. They don’t seem to care. So set the pear back down and walk away.

I think I read somewhere that the pear juice may be fermented at that point and contain a bit of alcohol and the hornets are a bit buzzed, so to speak.

 

[oosik]

It started six years ago. I know - made a note of it in my journal. Mowing the lawn and this flying "thing" hit me on the side of my head. I had gotten too close to the nest they were building. I was able to identify them because they come to the hummingbird feeder along with the yellow jackets.

I've never been stung but keep a close eye out for any nests. I find it's best, in my case, just avoid close encounters. They can be very aggressive but if left alone - don't present that much of a problem.

The only nests I've ever found are in the low hanging branches of my pine trees. About twice the size of a softball.

 

[Tinhack]

Apparently, they don't like the hotter climates. I haven't seen any of those, but I have seen a large bumblebee type wasp. It was mostly all white. The head looked all white. It attacked my tractor muffler and pipe. I guess from the sound. It was tenacious to the point of killing itself from the heat. I'm glad it didn't notice me sitting in the seat.

Besides Yellowjackets and killer bees, we have HUGE orange wasps down here. They make the Yellowjackets look like fruit flies. I exterminate all wasp nests I find and even go looking for them near the house, sheds and barn. They are nasty critters. There's plenty of room out here so they don't need to share my space.

 

[ponytug]

...

Besides Yellowjackets and killer bees, we have HUGE orange wasps down here. They make the Yellowjackets look like fruit flies. I exterminate all wasp nests I find and even go looking for them near the house, sheds and barn. They are nasty critters. There's plenty of room out here so they don't need to share my space.

Do you have any photos?

All the best,

Peter

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I just used Raid hornet spray. Killed them quick. Ripped down the nest.

 

[Carl_NH]

I suspect they are after your fruit - the arconia fruit or the fruit in the trees. Usually when they are feeding they don't bother people unless you happen to grab one.

If they show up after 9 AM likely the nest is shaded location - sun doesn't hit it until later in the morning. The nests can be hard to spot up in trees - it's easiest to follow them back to their nest if you have the patience and time.

I have eliminated many of these years ago with a long handle apple picker (wire cage on a pole) with a gas soaked rag late at night. More recently a pole saw with rag, or hornet spray can get 10' or so.

The ground bees (yellow jackets) are the nastiest IMO as you can't see them when mowing or weed trimming fence rows or scrub areas - so I have taken to doing this early in the day when it's cooler, and wearing coveralls.