Problem with Bald-faced hornets

[JasperFrank]

It is odd there isn't a convention of what certain insects are called in various regions. In my area people, call a type of harmless fly a bubble bee.

In certain areas a Hornet is a very recognizable insect... Its black and banded white and rather large. And eats Wasps for lunch.
Here is a bit of a guide from an entomologist, but the regional local names don't always match up. Paper Wasps here, are not colony bugs, they make one little cone with a small brood of 10 or 15. Mud daubers make even smaller nests, yet they mess up the siding on the house making nests. These are also not aggressive. I'm showing what locally, we consider a Hornet that make huge nests in the cavities of structures. These are not aggressive to humans so I leave them alone.

What we call Ground Wasps, Should be called Ground Yellow Jackets. These go after people and will sting to secure a resource, unprovoked.
These, I am at war with, and I have a bee suit, for the time they have a nest near by. Last year, I went after the Ground Yellow Jackets with a passion after they strung my wife several times. Dug them out, with them flying all around in my bee suit trying their best to sting me.
Ha! Ha! Bugs, they had no chance, as I dug down right in to their nests and killed all of them with out any insecticides. This summer... no Ground Yellow Jackets. I killed all the local queens for next year.

A hint to find the nest, is to find a water source for them, or set up one. They designate tanker bees to take water back to the nest. Follow those and you find the nest. They do a very straight line back to the nest.

What’s are the Differences Between a Yellow Jacket and a Wasp?

Griffin Pest Solutions - Stinging insects buzzing around your property? How worried should you be? Learn how to tell yellowjackets and wasps apart from each other.

www.griffinpest.com

 

[Hay Dude]

Here’s what’s left of the Bald Face hornets nest we hit in the hayfield.
I took the picture yesterday while stacking bales.
There were still hundreds of them tending to it.

 

[thclimer]

It is odd there isn't a convention of what certain insects are called in various regions. In my area people, call a type of harmless fly a bubble bee.

In certain areas a Hornet is a very recognizable insect... Its black and banded white and rather large. And eats Wasps for lunch.
Here is a bit of a guide from an entomologist, but the regional local names don't always match up. Paper Wasps here, are not colony bugs, they make one little cone with a small brood of 10 or 15. Mud daubers make even smaller nests, yet they mess up the siding on the house making nests. These are also not aggressive. I'm showing what locally, we consider a Hornet that make huge nests in the cavities of structures. These are not aggressive to humans so I leave them alone.

What we call Ground Wasps, Should be called Ground Yellow Jackets. These go after people and will sting to secure a resource, unprovoked.
These, I am at war with, and I have a bee suit, for the time they have a nest near by. Last year, I went after the Ground Yellow Jackets with a passion after they strung my wife several times. Dug them out, with them flying all around in my bee suit trying their best to sting me.
Ha! Ha! Bugs, they had no chance, as I dug down right in to their nests and killed all of them with out any insecticides. This summer... no Ground Yellow Jackets. I killed all the local queens for next year.

A hint to find the nest, is to find a water source for them, or set up one. They designate tanker bees to take water back to the nest. Follow those and you find the nest. They do a very straight line back to the nest.

What’s are the Differences Between a Yellow Jacket and a Wasp?

Griffin Pest Solutions - Stinging insects buzzing around your property? How worried should you be? Learn how to tell yellowjackets and wasps apart from each other.

www.griffinpest.com

Do you happen to remember specifically which bee suit you bought?

 

[JasperFrank]

Mine is a generic. It has no tags on it anywhere. Can't find the paper work. But you will find the same sort of suit if you search
"ACTREY Brand beekeepers suit." Approx $40 with free ship.
Through Amazon.

EDIT.... this is a one piece jump suit type. With a removable, 'fencing style' head net. I'm 6' and 210 lbs so I got the XXL. Which fit nicely. Mine came with a honey strainer also. Since this was the first bee suit I've ever worn, I double layered clothing under the suit and I duct taped over all the seams just to be sure and wore rain boots. This probably was not necessary. Then again, I was loading for bear, and didn't want to get stung.

I remember that mine was a little cheaper, not through Amazon, I think around 30 dollars. It is nicely made, and showed up three days after ordering, but had zero instructions on how to put it on properly, which took some figuring.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[masscity]

I had a baldfaced hornet nest in the entrance to the cow barn, also one on the woodshed. I didn't know what it was and it kept getting bigger. I don't know why I didn't do something about it. I don't go into the cowbarn often, but I would walk by the nest only about 2 feet by my head and never got stung.

It was about a foot long and looked like a football. I bought some hornet spray and I was going to go out at night and kill both of them.

We have cluster flies up here. I get the house and sauna cluster fly sprayed every august. They won't spray my pole barn, said it doesn't work on metal. He was here to spray and I showed him the nests and said they are baldfaced hornet nests. He asked me if I would like them sprayed for an extra $25, I said go for it.

 

[IndyJay]

We have bald faced hornets that visit out patio all of the time while we are sitting there, inches away. Have never bothered us but we don't bother them either. European hornets are very nasty. Ground hornets are too. I ran over a nest once while brush hogging and they came out and started stinging the tractor. I just sat very still and kept driving, watching them dinging the hood, praying that they wouldn't notice me. I did not get stung!

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

You may want to try one of the reusable fly trap jars, top pulls up for an opening. Wife's recipe is fill jar 1/3rd with mixture of beer, dark sugar soda and teaspoonful of sugar.
It attracts bees & flies like crazy and they drown. Then wash it out when full, reuse.

 

[oosik]

Well - this last week I had morning/sunrise temps of 34F. Haven't seen any bees, yellow jackets nor BF hornets since. Also - noticed the bats have gone south. Won't be long before the first "flakes" of winter.

 

[GeneV]

Won't be long before the first "flakes" of winter.

Hey hey, calm down with them fighting words!