Aggressive black bees?

[magicheater]

Found this while walking through my orchard. Right at head level, could of been disastrous. Bald faced hornets ARE VERY MEAN! Use caution when eradicating. Brake cleaner with a high volume nozzle does well. I just got rid of a smaller nest by going out at night and mechanically removing and then doing the residual the next day. The tree branch presents a very different approach, nothing solid to push against.......

 

[Pete Judd]

There used to be a guy around here that would come out and bag the whole nest. He advertized in the local paper and made a living selling them to labs that (some how) took the venom and used it in drugs. He removed a couple for out-laws, and myself. Now I just wait for dusk and spray with long range spray, as it works very well. Every year, get a few nests in the eves on the outside of the house, and in the shed.

 

[LMan1967]

Hornets will kick your ***, and there's no outrunning them.

My usual issue is the ground-nesting YJs/wasps, the small ones...they sting like a b*****. I usually "find" them when Im reaching for a spigot, or the well pump, or something similar and they swarm out at me....the holes are small so they are almost impossible to detect until they fly up at you.

 

[EE_Bota]

There used to be a guy around here that would come out and bag the whole nest. He advertized in the local paper and made a living selling them to labs that (some how) took the venom and used it in drugs. He removed a couple for out-laws, and myself. Now I just wait for dusk and spray with long range spray, as it works very well. Every year, get a few nests in the eves on the outside of the house, and in the shed.

This is what I did once (in bold.) It worked great.

But one year I has so many in so many different places, I did the work at noon...I rode around the yard in my VW pickup with the windows up, and the sprayer wand out the drivers window, packed tightly with denim from blue jeans. The next day, I found a pile of hornets under each next...the spray wasn't so noxious at to make them flee, but was a poison, and it did kill the lot of them.

I have been stung by a Japanese hornet...the big long ones...right in the web of my thumb, and he left his stinger. So, we can't be so sure about a wasp or hornet not leaving their stinger. We know that they tend to not leave them. Anyway, I got stung because he landed in my hair and I swiped at him with my hand not knowing what it was. To this day, I never go outdoors without a comb, and I always use a comb if something is in my hair. A hornet can train a human pretty well.

A buddy swears out that hornets can do math. As a kid, he hid behind a log, and throw a rock at a hornets nest. The entire nest of mad hornets arrived at the log to make him pay. To this day, he thinks they did an analysis of the entrance and exit hole and plotted a course to his location.:laughing:

 

[JDgreen227]

Have never seen a hornet nest around here, the only real nests I usually see are those of paper wasps. Have had a few nests of yellow jackets inside the walls of my 110 year old barn but only one in the ground. For the ground nest, I filled the fuel tank of my oldest push mower, started it up and taped the deadman control down, then used a 2X4 to push it over the ground nest. :laughing:

 

[magicheater]

:rotfl:

Have never seen a hornet nest around here, the only real nests I usually see are those of paper wasps. Have had a few nests of yellow jackets inside the walls of my 110 year old barn but only one in the ground. For the ground nest, I filled the fuel tank of my oldest push mower, started it up and taped the deadman control down, then used a 2X4 to push it over the ground nest. :laughing:

Too funny!!:rotfl:

 

[texasjohn]

Just ran across Giant Cicada Killer wasp...first I've ever seen...apparently seldom sting, short lived, BUT BIG, BIG BOOGERS....as much as 2 inches long...
More here.

Cicada killer wasps

 

[Depmandog]

Just ran across Giant Cicada Killer wasp...first I've ever seen...apparently seldom sting, short lived, BUT BIG, BIG BOOGERS....as much as 2 inches long...
More here.

Cicada killer wasps

My neighbor has these, and she asks me to dispatch them for her every year. They make a person nervous, as they sound like a small plane dive bombing around you. Only the female has the ability to sting, but seldom does.

Biggest wasp I have ever seen. Looks like a fighter jet. They burrow into the ground, and the female take a cicada into the hole with her and I think deposits her eggs into the cicada.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

View attachment 272586 Found this while walking through my orchard. Right at head level, could of been disastrous. Bald faced hornets ARE VERY MEAN! Use caution when eradicating. Brake cleaner with a high volume nozzle does well. I just got rid of a smaller nest by going out at night and mechanically removing and then doing the residual the next day. The tree branch presents a very different approach, nothing solid to push against.......

Hornets will kick your ***, and there's no outrunning them.

My usual issue is the ground-nesting YJs/wasps, the small ones...they sting like a b*****. I usually "find" them when Im reaching for a spigot, or the well pump, or something similar and they swarm out at me....the holes are small so they are almost impossible to detect until they fly up at you.

Agree and you definitely DO NOT want to mess with those guys! :shocked:

Why are you guys so scared??? We had a nest of bald faced hornets (did not know what they were at the time). I went out at night and powered up the power washer and tore their nest apart.

Didn't get stung once. :thumbsup:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

My neighbor has these, and she asks me to dispatch them for her every year. They make a person nervous, as they sound like a small plane dive bombing around you. Only the female has the ability to sting, but seldom does.

Biggest wasp I have ever seen. Looks like a fighter jet. They burrow into the ground, and the female take a cicada into the hole with her and I think deposits her eggs into the cicada.



View attachment 272748

Just ran across Giant Cicada Killer wasp...first I've ever seen...apparently seldom sting, short lived, BUT BIG, BIG BOOGERS....as much as 2 inches long...
More here.

Cicada killer wasps

Yeah, those things are HUGE! :confused2:

 

[LMan1967]

Who said I was scared?

 

[JDgreen227]

Why are you guys so scared??? We had a nest of bald faced hornets (did not know what they were at the time). I went out at night and powered up the power washer and tore their nest apart.

Didn't get stung once. :thumbsup:

Kyle....I would think you would have more common sense than to use a power washer on a nest like that...I was using a gas power washer to clean my sister-in-laws deck about 5 years ago, there were a lot of paper wasps in the area and I could use the jet spray of the PW to zap them BUT, repeat BUT there were only a few dozen and paper wasps are nowhere near as mean as hornets are...you are darn lucky they didn't attack you.

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Kyle....I would think you would have more common sense than to use a power washer on a nest like that...I was using a gas power washer to clean my sister-in-laws deck about 5 years ago, there were a lot of paper wasps in the area and I could use the jet spray of the PW to zap them BUT, repeat BUT there were only a few dozen and paper wasps are nowhere near as mean as hornets are...you are darn lucky they didn't attack you.

Yeah, now that I know all the facts about these critters, I look back and think about how lucky I was that I was not killed...:confused2:

 

[JDgreen227]

Yeah, now that I know all the facts about these critters, I look back and think about how lucky I was that I was not killed...:confused2:

I could tell you about all the dumb things I did when younger....such as drag racing a Datsun 240Z with my street bike at 1 am in the morning...and that is one of the lesser dumb stunts I thankfully got away with...:laughing:

 

[CompactTractorFan]

I could tell you about all the dumb things I did when younger....such as drag racing a Datsun 240Z with my street bike at 1 am in the morning...and that is one of the lesser dumb stunts I thankfully got away with...:laughing:

:laughing:

 

[riptides]

I just read this thread. Last night I was attacked, actually ASSAULTED by some black bees. I did not get a good look at them, as I was running, swatting, and eventually ROLLING on the ground trying to muster my best survival skills.

My wife was stranded with a daughter by a freshly cut field. Since I had to go get them, I was a little miffed. I took a mini-van. As we waited for the tow, I decided to get out of the mini-van. I told them it was to "let off steam". I walked about 50 feet behind the van. That is when I heard the attack from below. At first, I did not do anything. Thought it just was a big bug, buzzing me. Well, that was a stupid thought. Whatever it was smacked into the back of my head. I wheeled around, here it comes again. Smacked into my arm. I take my hat off, start waving it around trying to fend off this creature. Then, I hear more. The first one must be a decoy for the main force. As I have my arms flailing about, and my legs are starting to kick it, the tow truck is now right down the road. Since my brain is now engaged, I am under attack, I started my best defense and ran towards the van. It was only a few seconds when I passed my wife, who thought I was excited to see the tow truck, before some creature NAILED me in the back. Trouble is, the one that went for my arm was back, but not letting go. AND, his/her buddy on my back, he/she too was now engaged in pain distribution. I then managed to get the one off my arm, who then proceeded to fly directly into the windshield of the mini-van. I dropped and rolled to get the one OFF my back. As I was getting up, I was attempting to motion to the wife to drive up and get me. I wanted the distance between my first encounter to be a little greater. I started going towards the van, but the creatures were now engaged in dive-bombing the occupants.

To end the tale, only my daughter realized I was under attack before I hit the ground. My wife just thought I was happy to see the tow truck. The driver too, thought I was happy to see him. My daughter tried to open the door, after I hit the ground, but was shouted down by my wife, whose survival instincts only kicked in when I was rolling around, and the creatures attacked the mini-van.

It was a great laugh.

I had four welts, but no stingers. The daughter swears they were bumble bees. I think they were too, but honestly I am just glad I made it out of there.

 

[Sedwick1024]

After carefully taking out the nest's major structural canes, I then clamped a cane sticking through the nest, but when I pulled at it with my 25' extending pole (designed for putting up and taking down Christmas lights on gutters), the cane snapped away. So I tried hooking it out, but it eventually landed on the ground, and a late-night grab attempt somehow broke the bottom "cap" off:

I tried a few more grabs, but I could only move it a couple inches and there was still a lot in the way of a clear rolling path. Eventually there were 3 or 4 of them swarming the end of the pole. But something about a view like that and a can of wasp & hornet killer in the hand exacerbates the urge to "TAKE THE SHOT!"
So I did. The above photo was actually taken after the foam had dried. The Ortho lady said next year's berries wouldn't be poisoned, and I'm just glad this is finally over.
Revenge is mine.

 

[EE_Bota]

After carefully taking out the nest's major structural canes, I then clamped a cane sticking through the nest, but when I pulled at it with my 25' extending pole (designed for putting up and taking down Christmas lights on gutters), the cane snapped away. So I tried hooking it out, but it eventually landed on the ground, and a late-night grab attempt somehow broke the bottom "cap" off:
View attachment 273161
I tried a few more grabs, but I could only move it a couple inches and there was still a lot in the way of a clear rolling path. Eventually there were 3 or 4 of them swarming the end of the pole. But something about a view like that and a can of wasp & hornet killer in the hand exacerbates the urge to "TAKE THE SHOT!"
So I did. The above photo was actually taken after the foam had dried. The Ortho lady said next year's berries wouldn't be poisoned, and I'm just glad this is finally over.
Revenge is mine.

Those there are some really healthy looking hornets. I think they are bigger than most I have knocked down.

 

[LMan1967]

Those there are some really healthy looking hornets.

Well, they were :cool2:

 

[toppop52]

As for wasps eating habits, most are omnivorous, not carnivorous, and will eat fruit. Yellow jackets swarm all over my cherries and apples as soon as they are on the ground. They will also catch flies, spiders and other wasps, as well as your cold cut sub if you're not careful. And according the info posted wasps do also have a barbed stinger, that one I can't testify on, but what they eat I can.