# Hornet nest demolition



## wiley_p (Feb 9, 2004)

Here on the West side of the Cascades there are a couple mem bers of Hymenoptera that have space issues. Bald face hornets and the common yellowjacket. Sprays, just simply getting stung and scaring the rest of the crew with sociopathic displays of pain tolerance get old. A captain freind said taping 2 seal bombs to a coat hanger is quite effective. He assured me that the resulting double concussion killed all nastys. Looking forward to the next grey ball of evil


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## SilverBlue (Feb 9, 2004)

Works like a charm.


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## coffeecraver (Feb 9, 2004)

BALDFACED HORNETS

The Baldfaced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) is sometimes called the white-faced hornet,but is actually a yellowjacket. It's easy to spot since it's our only black and white yellowjacket. Its nest is a gray "paper" envelope with several layers of combs inside. 
A mature nest is bigger than a basketball, but pear-shaped, with the larger end at the top and an entrance hole near the bottom.
A single, over wintering queen begins building the nest in the spring. She lays eggs and tends the first batch of larvae that develop into workers. These workers tend new larvae 
and expand the nest throughout the summer. A mature colony can have several hundred workers by the end of the summer. In fall, workers die and next year's queens find over wintering
sites. 

Baldfaced hornets are beneficial, capturing insects (often including other yellowjackets) to feed to their larvae. Though larger than other yellowjackets, Baldfaced hornets are generally more docile. But they can become aggressive and will sting when their nest is disturbed or threatened.

A Baldfaced nest is usually constructed high in a tree. 

In fact, Baldfaced hornet nests are often first noticed in fall when leaves drop, exposing the nest. By this time the hornets are dead or dying, and the nest will not be reused.


Baldfaced Hornet Elimination

Treat the hornet nest as late in the evening as possible. Remember that all wasps, hornets and bees are at rest when it is dark. Not only will all the hornets be in the nest for you to exterminate (instead of foraging for food some distance away) , you will be at far less risk when they are resting. No one wants to treat a hornets' nest with hornets dive-bombing their head!

When approaching the nest, move slowly so as not to disturb the sleeping pests. If eliminating the nest in late evening is not possible (forcing you to work in broad daylight), avoid crossing the obvious flight path. You also do not want to cast a shadow across the nest while you work.

For initial "knockdown" or quick kill, use a professional wasp freeze such as PT 515. This will enable you to attack the nest from a distance or reach higher areas The wasp freeze should first be directed at the entrance of the nest to eliminate any guard wasps. 

Next, thoroughly soak the remainder of the nest. For the average size nest (or larger) you will need two cans of wasp freeze. These types of aerosol are not very expensive and you do not want to run out of product in the middle of the job!

You can now finish the hornet elimination. This is best done using Drione Dust or Delta Dust. Either one of these products will do an excellent job, and they also are packaged in a container that allows you to apply the dust directly. Ease the tip of your dust container (or Tech Duster, if you prefer) into the entrance and quickly squeeze three or four times. This will send the pesticide dust far into the galleries, where it will remain
long enough to kill all hornets.

After 24 to 48 hours, all hornets should be dead. (If not, you simply repeat the dust application) You can now safely remove the empty nest.


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## MasterBlaster (Feb 9, 2004)

Hornets in a tree once allmost killed me.


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## ORclimber (Feb 9, 2004)

We covered yellowjackets in mastergardener class today. The pnw has about 10 species in 3 Genuses of those stinging jerks.

3 with white markings including the Blackjacket (Vespula consobrina), and 1 that kills the queen and makes the workers her beotches (Dolichovespula arctica).

I tried that poison free mint spray last summer on 2 nests. It melted the nest and pizzed them off.


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## ORclimber (Feb 9, 2004)

I saw a former employer pour gas into a metal garbage can. then one employee cut free the nest with a pole pruner so it landed in the garbage can. Another guy tossed in a rolled up burning newspaper. Probably not OSHA approved.


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## NeTree (Feb 10, 2004)

> _Originally posted by ORclimber _
> *I saw a former employer pour gas into a metal garbage can. then one employee cut free the nest with a pole pruner so it landed in the garbage can. Another guy tossed in a rolled up burning newspaper. Probably not OSHA approved. *




But it sure was effective, eh?


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## ORclimber (Feb 10, 2004)

Whooosh! no more bees And no more employees refusing to do the tree until someone ran to the store for bee bopper.


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## Dan F (Feb 14, 2004)

While I don't know how effective it is on hornets, I was quite surprised at how fast Talstar took care of a nest of yellow jackets last summer. I sprayed around and in the hole with it, and about 20 minutes later there wasn't a single YJ flying. 

I would imagine that if you could thoroughly soak the nest, it would work on hornets too.


Dan


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## topnotchtree (Mar 8, 2004)

I worked with a guy that took a baldface hornets nest out of a tree in the winter. He thought it was cool and had it in his van. He only had a 1 mile drive to work, so it never heated up enough to wake the evil little stingers.........Till a ride out of state with his girlfriend...... Oh yeah, shes an EX- girlfriend now. LMAO!


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## NeTree (Mar 8, 2004)

!!!


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