# Bald Faced Hornet's Nest Removal?



## Utilitrack (Aug 11, 2014)

Hi All-
 I figured that with the wealth of knowledge here that someone has successfully done battle with these bad boys. The nest has obviously been there for most of the year without incident, but now that we know it is present we are very wary of the area in our yard which we regularly frequent due to mowing, berry picking, and the pool.
 My question is this do I wait to remove in the fall? Do I eradicate the nest now and if so how? I watched a few online "how to" videos yesterday, one included an airsoft gun assault followed by Wasp & Hornet spray, my son was pretty excited about that option, but he and I are both allergic, and I am concerned what the spray would do to the young maple tree that is the hornet's current home. The other video demonstrated how to duct tape the opening in the early morning and cutting it away whole and then disposing of the nest and all it inhabitants. This demo was done on a vacated nest, so not sure that an occupied nest would be so easy. I do not wish to be that close to the nest with 400 angry hornets trying to escape what amounts to a paper bag.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## Utilitrack (Aug 11, 2014)

Oops, not sure why the pictures are sideways?


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## wahoowad (Aug 11, 2014)

That tree doesn't look too tall. If it was me I would buy a can of the streaming hornet spray and saturate that nest early one morning while they are still inactive. The spray is good for 20' or so. Start spraying the opening really well.

I'd probably get my step ladder out there and take a few steps up to close the distance so I could be more accurate.

Note - This is coming from a guy who bought 2 cans of spray and could not erradicate some yellow jackets in my siding behind my electrical panel. I decided to get a pro as further spraying had me paranoid about getting electrocuted. The pro used a powder called Drione Dust that eliminated them that day. You would have to rig up some kind of long blow pipe to try and get dust in that hole. I'd consider that as plan B if the spray doesn't work.


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## Utilitrack (Aug 11, 2014)

wahoowad said:


> That tree doesn't look too tall. If it was me I would buy a can of the streaming hornet spray and saturate that nest early one morning while they are still inactive. The spray is good for 20' or so. Start spraying the opening really well.
> 
> I'd probably get my step ladder out there and take a few steps up to close the distance so I could be more accurate.
> 
> Note - This is coming from a guy who bought 2 cans of spray and could not erradicate some yellow jackets in my siding behind my electrical panel. I decided to get a pro as further spraying had me paranoid about getting electrocuted. The pro used a powder called Drione Dust that eliminated them that day. You would have to rig up some kind of long blow pipe to try and get dust in that hole. I'd consider that as plan B if the spray doesn't work.



What will the spray do to the young tree? As you pointed out it is only 10' tall, I planted it last year.


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## 1kzwoman (Aug 11, 2014)

If I were allergic I would call a professional or a brother in law to remove it. The allergy thing can kill you with one sting let alone a nest.


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 11, 2014)

I do pest control and nuisance wildlife for a living.

The spray won't hurt the tree.  At least the stuff we use wont.  Dust is awesome along with aerosols.  When dealing with bald faced hornets I typically use all 3 as I don't want to screw around with them.  I'd also have my bee suit on.  They're nasty. 

If you're allergic, hire a pro.  It should be less than 2 bills to remove it.  Think of how much it'll cost if you get stung and have to rush to the ER.


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## Jags (Aug 11, 2014)

What Matt said.  If I were allergic to stings, I would be sitting at the bar with a beer in hand while the pros got the job done.


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 11, 2014)

Jags said:


> What Matt said.  If I were allergic to stings, I would be sitting at the bar with a beer in hand while the pros got the job done.




Our next job was bald faced hornets.   We thought it was. going to be yellowjackets.  It was over a pool so we couldn't get as close as I would have liked.  We used a 3 ft foam gun to keep them in and then aerosol to kill them.


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 11, 2014)




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## Jags (Aug 11, 2014)

I hit them with the foamy type spray and then run like a scared school girl (including the screeches).


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 11, 2014)

My buddy wanted to film me falling into the pool.  That would have been fun to post!


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## Utilitrack (Aug 11, 2014)

EatenByLimestone said:


> My buddy wanted to film me falling into the pool.  That would have been fun to post!


Thanks for the advice Matt, I will probably call a pro in. I was wondering though is there any harm in letting them vacate on their own in the fall and then removing the empty nest?


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 11, 2014)

If it's not in the way and people don't get in their way I don't see an issue with leaving them alone.

I ran it by my buddy and he thinks if it is 20 or 30 feet out of the way it should be fine.  We can't tell height from the pics.  

Once the flowers go away they will become more aggressive looking for sweet stuff... soda, beer, etc.  Maybe you could wait to see if it's a problem then.  It will be scarier to take down then though.  I get spooked in the bee suit.

Matt, the official scaredy cat.


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## blades (Aug 11, 2014)

I did the air rifle assault thing  several years back, really peppered the nest ( I was using High power air rifles not air soft ) Birds stated to do some work after that and mother nature finished the job in a few day with a big rain storm which destroyed the nest.  It was around 30 or so feet up in a big Ginkgo tree right above my splitting area. We were not getting along.  This year they are somewhere in the woods behind the house, but far enough away that they do not pose a problem so far.


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## Hogwildz (Aug 12, 2014)

I got stung 2x by them a couple weeks ago, not a pretty sight.
Almost made a trip to the emergency room.

Waiting on a cooler morning to get my old roofing torch out and blast the SOBs.
If you spray with the can with jet spray, be prepared to run, and prolly get stung.


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## semipro (Aug 12, 2014)

I usually just leave them alone until they 'deactivate' in cold weather and then knock the nest down. 
We have a nest under our porch that I pass almost everyday.  No attacks yet.  
Live and let live.....at least until there's a problem.


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## maple1 (Aug 12, 2014)

I would wait it out.

Those things are nasty - about the nastiest thing there is.

I had a yellow hornet nest in a wood stack this summer. I gave the stack a crack with a split last night, and got no response. They're gone. I realize yellow hornets aren't black bald face ones, but they should be vacating in the next month or so - maybe.


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## heat seeker (Aug 12, 2014)

How would you like a yellow jacket nest like this one? Estimated 1,000 stingers in it.

http://www.wfsb.com/story/26244511/faulkville-man-discovers-massive-yellow-jacket-nest


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## osagebow (Aug 15, 2014)

Jags said:


> I hit them with the foamy type spray and then run like a scared school girl (including the screeches).


This is my M.O. as well. I go night ops, and wait till it's cool. I Also am allergic, so I suit up as well. Carhart coveralls, fonzie jacket, gloves,hoodie, forest helmet. I'm  3 for 3. None even came out, but ya never know.


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## Utilitrack (Aug 28, 2014)

Just an update on this, I decided to try to let them vacate on their own in the Fall tactic, they weren't bothering anyone until yesterday morning... I was taking the dogs out at 4:45am (puppy) Anyways these basturds evidently aren't a fan of my security light right beside the doorway, when I got back to the door to go back in 30-40 of them were swarming the light and bouncing off my french doors, they are highly agitated, I grab the pup and burst through into the house unscathed. So fast forward to this AM, today I get up a 5am (still dark) to see where they are coming from, I turn on the light and within minutes they are appearing from the darkness in the direction of the nest and again begin attacking the light.

So live and let live has gone by the wayside and planning the assault begins. Here is my general plan:
1) Thick clothing, full facemask, ski goggles, gloves etc.
2) Military style assault scheduled for dusk.
3) First volley will be to hit the main hole with Hornet and Wasp spray, then continue to wet down the entire nest.
4) Phase two will be to shoot it with my son's pellet gun to open it up some more, then hit again with the spray.
5) I will then cut it down and kill it with fire.


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## stee6043 (Aug 28, 2014)

I get the heeby jeebies just reading this thread.  But at the same time you have to love the challenge.  It's us vs them.  Survival of the fittest here.  You have superior firepower on your side...assuming you get the jump on them.  Show no mercy.

I've had way too many bee's nests on or about my deck in the past 6 years that I finally started using Demon WP every month (during the warm months) last year.  I spray EVERYTHING.  So far...2 years of no nests.  Once you get rid of this nest you might want to consider how you prevent future nests from showing up.


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## 1kzwoman (Aug 28, 2014)

Utilitrack said:


> Just an update on this, I decided to try to let them vacate on their own in the Fall tactic, they weren't bothering anyone until yesterday morning... I was taking the dogs out at 4:45am (puppy) Anyways these basturds evidently aren't a fan of my security light right beside the doorway, when I got back to the door to go back in 30-40 of them were swarming the light and bouncing off my french doors, they are highly agitated, I grab the pup and burst through into the house unscathed. So fast forward to this AM, today I get up a 5am (still dark) to see where they are coming from, I turn on the light and within minutes they are appearing from the darkness in the direction of the nest and again begin attacking the light.
> 
> So live and let live has gone by the wayside and planning the assault begins. Here is my general plan:
> 1) Thick clothing, full facemask, ski goggles, gloves etc.
> ...



Your allergic???? As I recall....I hope you survive and the hornets do not . Your leave them in place call would have been good if they cooperated.
Hope you get through your new plan safely


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## semipro (Aug 28, 2014)

Utilitrack said:


> So live and let live has gone by the wayside and planning the assault begins.


Much as I like the "live and let live" thing I'm still tempted to poke a hornets nest every time I see one.


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## Warm_in_NH (Aug 28, 2014)

I gotta admit I've been "watching" this thread waiting for this very moment. It's like watching a boat heading for the reef, you know it's gonna be bad but you can't look away.

If it's within reach, gear up and then just bag it and let em suffocate. 

If you decide to shoot it up just be mindful of what's behind it as those pellets will keep on going.

Good luck!


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## bobdog2o02 (Aug 28, 2014)

EatenByLimestone said:


>




Nice Boots, Thats what i wear for work boots.


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## Rossco (Aug 29, 2014)

Dam I hate wasps (Childhood sting incident) although I don't fear them.

We have had problems in the past.

I usually Gas them out out or wack the nest with the chimney sweep. If you have a nice population of 'Garden friendly Ants' they should take care of the nest once its on the ground.


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## blades (Aug 29, 2014)

Make sure the spray you use has ability to keep working after the carrier has evaporated, bunch of cheap stuff out there right now that doesn't.


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## Utilitrack (Aug 29, 2014)

Warm_in_NH said:


> I gotta admit I've been "watching" this thread waiting for this very moment. It's like watching a boat heading for the reef, you know it's gonna be bad but you can't look away.
> 
> If it's within reach, gear up and then just bag it and let em suffocate.
> 
> ...



It is within reach, now you got me re-evaluating my plan of attack. I am pretty rural so the pellet gun assault will be incident free. As vicious as these guys have gotten over the last 3 days, I am starting to lean more heavily to the exterminator route...they are in my head now and around every corner, that ship maybe making a hard left.


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## Utilitrack (Aug 29, 2014)

Fear not Warm in NH, the mission has been aborted, the pros have been called in. I hate to pay for something like this, but I think Eaten By Limestone said it best when he said calling in a pro will be cheaper than a trip to the ER. Foolish pride will not get me this time, plus I get to watch the carnage from safe distance!


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## 1kzwoman (Aug 29, 2014)

Utilitrack said:


> Fear not Warm in NH, the mission has been aborted, the pros have been called in. I hate to pay for something like this, but I think Eaten By Limestone said it best when he said calling in a pro will be cheaper than a trip to the ER. Foolish pride will not get me this time, plus I get to watch the carnage from safe distance!



Foolish pride is not correct that's intellectual curiosity! Logical thinking has led you to the best option.
Next year you may deal with these buggers returning so be careful then too. 
Mom had yellow jackets try this, but they were finally defeated.


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## jharkin (Aug 29, 2014)

We had a nest of those (#*&$(^&#  build in the top of my kids swing set.  One day they came after my wife and stung her 3 or 4 times when she was just walking by.  Those buggers are VERY aggressive, worse even than yellowjackets.  Ive been told that if you try and spray the nest and dont get them all the survivors will swarm and chase you all the way down the street.


In this case I paid the $150 and hired a pest guy.  

Be safe.


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## Bobbin (Aug 31, 2014)

We have them here.  Every year we wonder where they'll pop up and we simply watch them.  We don't eradicate them.  Nor do we "piss them off", lol.  I've never been stung, the good man was once when he brushed one off before realizing what it was and letting it fly off on its own.  We simply co-exist.  We keep an eye out for them and as long as we know where they've set up camp, we're OK with them. We know they're around because we see them occasionally, but for the past couple of years we've not seen the nest.  I have an abandoned nest in my shop and many people flip out when they "notice" it because they have no idea how that it's completely benign. 

They're interesting.  The nest you see is entirely the work of one season.  The subtle changes in color of the "paper" are fascinating and give insight into what they chew up to increase the size of the nest.  How big it gets depends entirely on how big the colony is.  Most interesting to us is the conical entrance to the nest... when it's hot you can see wasps lined up at the entrance fanning their wings to force cooler air up and through the combs.  At the end of the season the fertilized queen "goes to ground" and overwinters in logs or underground.  In the springtime she emerges, lays eggs, and the progeny begins work on the new nest.


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## BrotherBart (Aug 31, 2014)

Bobbin said:


> We don't eradicate them.



I think you would have changed your mind if you had been sitting in my basement office three years ago and would every once in a while get dive bombed by one. Finally found where they were coming in through a gap in the mortar of the chimney, plugged it and then tracked back to the nest hanging in a tree thirty feet away. And thoroughly pissed them off. Then cleaned the 12 gauge.


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## Bobbin (Aug 31, 2014)

I didn't live where you live(d) 3 yrs. ago.  Read on, Brother...  We've lived here for 23 yrs. now and only one sting in all that time. 

Funny story:  one year there was a nest in the Hydrangea grandiflora on the south side of our home, about 10' from the slider that lead from Mum's room to the terrace.  The hydrangea was just glorious that year, cascading in an umbrella weighed down by the blossoms.  Mum spent nearly every day in her chair in its shade, with a book/magazine.  One late summer afternoon the good man happened to "discover" the nest... .  We alerted Mum, showed it to her and asked what she thought about its presence.  "Well, dear, it's been established for some time and nothing has come of it.  Leave well enough alone."

You guys do whatever you feel necessary.  Our experience has indicated no such drastic intervention has ever been necessary.


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## semipro (Sep 1, 2014)

Well I'm not real proud of it but my "live and let live" mantra transformed to "kill or hurt and swell" this weekend.
While working on a deck a yellow jacket got me good on the ankle.  I found the nest nearby in the ground.  War ensued.  I won.
I observed that the little buggers seem to trigger on movement rather than presence alone.
I found that even if I was relatively close to their mad response, if I stood still they left me alone.  Sort of like dealing with a T. Rex I guess.


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## Warm_in_NH (Sep 1, 2014)

http://www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-ne...cliner-housing-massive-wasp-nest-320560707779

Yep. The hornets clearly didn't subscribe to the live and let live theory when they killed the cat.
It's just too dangerous to let a big nest near civilization not be removed.  It's like an unexploded ordinance in the back yard, fine until someone or something gets too close.


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## jharkin (Sep 1, 2014)

Yes..  l live and let live with honeybees an bumblebees.  We always get lots of bumblebees around the flowers my wife plants at the backdoor.  They dont bother us at all. I even brush past and they just go back to munching on flowers.

Yellowjackts and hornets however..  are just mean.  and gotta go.


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## Utilitrack (Sep 1, 2014)

Bobbin said:


> We have them here.  Every year we wonder where they'll pop up and we simply watch them.  We don't eradicate them.  Nor do we "piss them off", lol.  I've never been stung, the good man was once when he brushed one off before realizing what it was and letting it fly off on its own.  We simply co-exist.  We keep an eye out for them and as long as we know where they've set up camp, we're OK with them. We know they're around because we see them occasionally, but for the past couple of years we've not seen the nest.  I have an abandoned nest in my shop and many people flip out when they "notice" it because they have no idea how that it's completely benign.
> 
> They're interesting.  The nest you see is entirely the work of one season.  The subtle changes in color of the "paper" are fascinating and give insight into what they chew up to increase the size of the nest.  How big it gets depends entirely on how big the colony is.  Most interesting to us is the conical entrance to the nest... when it's hot you can see wasps lined up at the entrance fanning their wings to force cooler air up and through the combs.  At the end of the season the fertilized queen "goes to ground" and overwinters in logs or underground.  In the springtime she emerges, lays eggs, and the progeny begins work on the new nest.


I tried that route, unfortunately for them they decided to not play along. With myself and my son being allergic and kids, friends and our pets frequenting the backyard, their aggression got to be too much of a risk for our situation.


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## Fifelaker (Sep 1, 2014)

I have switched from sprays and brake cleaner to dish soap in a squirt gun. It kills them almost as fast and just as dead. I read that they breath through their skin and the soap suffocates them. I wait until dark and go Rambo on the. I have gotten rid of 5 nests this year using this method.


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## EatenByLimestone (Sep 2, 2014)

Fifelaker said:


> I have switched from sprays and brake cleaner to dish soap in a squirt gun. It kills them almost as fast and just as dead. I read that they breath through their skin and the soap suffocates them. I wait until dark and go Rambo on the. I have gotten rid of 5 nests this year using this method.




Interesting with the soap.  I've never heard of it.  They breathe through ports on their sides called spiracles.


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## DavidWiebe (Sep 4, 2014)

I've cleaned up a few large nests of wasps and hornets both by rigging up a shop vac hose to point strait at the nest opening (About 1 inch away). I've set up the rig using a step ladder and some tape to hold it in place, another time some random bits laying around. Anyway, if you move slowly while setting up and don't make a bunch of noise, I found they pretty much ignored me until I turned on the shop vac. At that point they start running out of the nest to see what's happening and promptly get sucked into the shop vac. After a while they are more cautious and you have to bang on the nest a bit and then they really get pissed and pour out of the nest strait into the vac. I left it set up and running for a few hours and by then 98% of them have been sucked up. At this point you can dispose of the nest, spray it first if you like.
This works like a charm and there's that satisfying glee of listening to the "thuk" and then bouncing down the hose and smack into the vac... at the end they're so dazed that you dump them out and they're just barely moving their legs. Squish the whole bunch with your shoe or something and problem solved.


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## stee6043 (Sep 4, 2014)

Fifelaker said:


> I have switched from sprays and brake cleaner to dish soap in a squirt gun. It kills them almost as fast and just as dead. I read that they breath through their skin and the soap suffocates them. I wait until dark and go Rambo on the. I have gotten rid of 5 nests this year using this method.


 
Seriously?  This makes me want to immediately buy the most badass Super Soaker I can find on Amazon.com now...and be able to somehow "justify it".  I've never heard of such a thing.


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## semipro (Sep 4, 2014)

stee6043 said:


> Seriously?  This makes me want to immediately buy the most badass Super Soaker I can find on Amazon.com now...and be able to somehow "justify it".  I've never heard of such a thing.


Yep.  Dawn is what I use.  Simple Green works pretty well too. 
I typically use a 1 gallon garden sprayer.  Not as much fun as a super soaker though.


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## Spletz (Sep 4, 2014)

Nearly slammed my head into a bald faced hornets nest the other day while mowing on my tractor. That evening, both barrels of 12 ga, #8 shot and some hornet spray (after running like a little girl) did the trick nicely.  Just make sure to have your shot pattern accounted for!


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## Rossco (Sep 4, 2014)

Spletz said:


> Nearly slammed my head into a bald faced hornets nest the other day while mowing on my tractor. That evening, both barrels of 12 ga, #8 shot and some hornet spray (*after running like a little girl)* did the trick nicely.  Just make sure to have your shot pattern accounted for!



Ha Ha Ha. 

I have been inspecting the the neighbours property for nests as its apple season.


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## EatenByLimestone (Sep 6, 2014)

On youtube somewhere there is a video of North Koreans using a flamethrower on a nest in a tree.


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