Hornet nest removal.

[klb]

The European Hornet's nest finally died off with the Queen
hibernating somewhere waiting on warm weather for next
season so I removed it. It was bigger than I expected.
They were in my old building where I keep the mowing
equipment and never really bothered me much even when
cranking the riding mower and backing it out.
One sting because I was sucking them up in the shop vac.
I guess I didn't factor in that Bees have to poop too and the
bottom of the wall was full of it and for smell they have me
beat by far.    Got it all cleaned up and sealed up so they
won't have an entrance for next season. They must not like
my bikes because every time I would walk by to my other
building to get one of the Valkyries out they would dive
bomb me.

[Rams]

I have a deep respect for anyone that takes on such an eviction.   I'd almost rather burn down the building than go where no man has gone before.    A bit of an exaggeration but, needless to say, I don't like bugs with stingers.    I would have spent a fortune on bug bombs before I went near that nest.
Hope your efforts are successful.   

Rams

[Jess from VA]

Good job.  

Even if it was now unoccupied, leaving it in there would be a pure stimulant for moving back in.  It would go from empty to full in one or two days, and a nest that size can be lethal..

I don't have hornets but man my area is just full of yellow jackets.

I've been fighting with them for years, and what I have learned is that the scouts are out looking for new nest sites every springtime, in small numbers and mostly not aggressive (yet).  I spend time actively hunting them every spring (with sprays), and when I see new spring activity, I follow them to try and find their new areas of interest and clean them out.  

It used to be in rotten wood and ground nests, but this past year they tried moving onto the vents in my bike shed.  I got after them and destroyed all new nests before they could get established, and when you do that, they move off to some other location (at someone else's property).

Early spring hunting pays off, and at a time when they are small in numbers and hardly aggressive at all.  Kill them all early and the rest of the summer can be mostly bee free.

If I was you, I might leave some bug bombs prepositioned in those walls so if they do try to return, all you have to do is light them off.  I might also mix a strong solution of dishsoap and water and soak those inner walls down with it before buttoning back up.  I've also used multiple bottles of straight Simple Green (in my bike shed vents) to leave soapy residue which they hate.

[klb]

I have a deep respect for anyone that takes on such an eviction.   I'd almost rather burn down the building than go where no man has gone before.    A bit of an exaggeration but, needless to say, I don't like bugs with stingers.    I would have spent a fortune on bug bombs before I went near that nest.
Hope your efforts are successful.   

Rams

They die off after the cold sets in and I had them on surveillance for
a couple of weeks to make sure they were gone before taking the
inside wall off. They taught me right quick who was boss the day I
was catching them in the shop vac. I got a bunch to start with as
they were coming and going but got impatient and beat on the outer
wall when a crap load came out and swarmed me overloading the
limits of the shop vac. I knocked on their door and they answered. 

[Farside]

  I don't mess with Hornets Those guys are Big and nasty. Glad you took care of them. However it was a Hornets nest that got me married I'll explain at InZane 2022 over some coffee. 

[klb]

Good job.  

Even if it was now unoccupied, leaving it in there would be a pure stimulant for moving back in.  It would go from empty to full in one or two days, and a nest that size can be lethal..

I don't have hornets but man my area is just full of yellow jackets.

I've been fighting with them for years, and what I have learned is that the scouts are out looking for new nest sites every springtime, in small numbers and mostly not aggressive (yet).  I spend time actively hunting them every spring (with sprays), and when I see new spring activity, I follow them to try and find their new areas of interest and clean them out.  

It used to be in rotten wood and ground nests, but this past year they tried moving onto the vents in my bike shed.  I got after them and destroyed all new nests before they could get established, and when you do that, they move off to some other location (at someone else's property).

Early spring hunting pays off, and at a time when they are small in numbers and hardly aggressive at all.  Kill them all early and the rest of the summer can be mostly bee free.

If I was you, I might leave some bug bombs prepositioned in those walls so if they do try to return, all you have to do is light them off.  I might also mix a strong solution of dishsoap and water and soak those inner walls down with it before buttoning back up.  I've also used multiple bottles of straight Simple Green (in my bike shed vents) to leave soapy residue which they hate.

I hate Yellow Jackets they are the worst of them all. I have only
had one nest in the ground in my back yard years ago and it took
me a week got rid of them. I first tossed in way too much 93 octane
3.5 gallons to be exact when my brother in law showed up just before
the lighting ceremony. He went and got me a Scott shop towel and
when I lit it and threw it on the entrance. It went off like a bomb
scaring the crap out of us and the flames and smoke had all of my
neighbors out to watch the show. That didn't get them so I got
several cans of the long reach spray still no kill. I finally had to keep
the nest filled with water for a few days and that got them. The
building these Hornets were in had Carpenter bees and that's how
I learned about Blue Dawn dish washing liquid.
I was amazed that spraying them even in mid air would kill them in
minutes. Still had some Carpenter bees and one day I noticed they
were all gone. I found out that Hornets are their enemy and they
won't hang around. After I got all of the nest out and cleaned their
portajohn I mixed warm water, vinegar and Blue Dawn in a one gallon
garden sprayer and coated it well hopefully they won't return.

[klb]

I don't mess with Hornets Those guys are Big and nasty. Glad you took care of them. However it was a Hornets nest that got me married I'll explain at InZane 2022 over some coffee. 

   That sounds like it would be an interesting story.

[Jess from VA]

I got a bunch to start with as they were coming and going, but got impatient and beat on the outer wall when a crap load came out and swarmed me

This level of enthusiasm in many of my life's endeavors has gotten me in trouble more than a few times.  

Pity there is no video.  

I was taking down a rotted old tiny lawn mower shed soon after moving into my home, and the sledge hammer resulted in a few thousand black widow spiders (and termites) running all over the place.  It's a good thing the shed was too small for me to get inside (more like a big wooden box), or it would have been much worse.  I had never seen so many spiders at one time in my life.

My first two run-ins with yellow jackets was using my gas blower to move lawn refuse into the yard corners where I clean it up by hand.  Right after the blow job, squatting down with a couple dust pans right over a ground nest will get them all exited, and then you run a five flat 100 yard dash (and they still get you).  

This was the beginning of my lifetime Jihad against yellow jackets.  

Something about older age has made the stings much much worse than in my childhood.

[Bigwolf]

You can spend a lot of time and money removing unwanted bees such as hornets and yellow jackets.  However, you can do a better job faster and a lot cheaper if you can find a powdered pesticide like 7 dust.  The 7 dust needs to be 10% or better.  A teaspoon of that placed at the entrance of the hive will quiet the entire hive in just a few minutes………..and in the future, any bee that wanders into that hive looking for a  new home for his family will not wander back out to invite them.  Problem solved very easy! 

A plastic spoon taped to the end of a fishing rod will keep you a distance from the hive entrance for delivery purposes if yellow jackets (usually ground hives).  For hornet nests higher up, I have found creative ways to deliver the powder to the hive entrance without having any of the bees bother me.

The bees will track the powder into and thru the entire nest in their normal routine.  No need to work to get them all!  It is easy!

[Patrick]

I understand what you fellas are/have gone thru. I've gotten pretty good at getting rid of them over the years.

I tend to keep the White Face/Bald Face nests for decorations. It feels like you've been shot when they hit you.

In ground I just dump in old stale fuel, especially 2 cycle, at night and touch it off. Its amazing the size of the hole they make in such a short time.

I had them get in the house one year and they filled a 10 ft section of wall and they ate the drywall so the only thing remaining was the paper. That was a heck of mess. Once I poked a hole in that paper they flooded the room. We opened the window and removed the screen. Once the Queen came out she flew out the window and her flock followed her.

[John Schmidt]

As a teenager I worked with my dad and cousin on a hay baling crew with my grandfather. Since it was his rig he got the easy job...he drove the tractor. I found out why that wasn't necessarily the best option. He drove over an in-ground nest of bumble bees...didn't know old granddad could move that fast. At that moment, old gramps looked like a Dutch windbill on legs...arms flailing like crazy. He only got a couple hits but didn't slow him down. In his rather dry tone, he suggested we break for an early lunch in order for things to die down.

[cookiedough]

my moms house gets bees every year and nearly every year we get stung mowing her yard, mostly ground bees or in old rotten wood.  Went thru several cans of spray to get them taken care of.  One was HUGE on eastrophe about 1x1 foot size and me and my brother got our one piece ice fishing suit on and cycle helmet all wrapped up warm mittens and all external body parts covered in near 90 degree heat and went to town spraying it with 4-5 spray cans, enough so it got so wet it came down and no more bees.  Was not sure bees could sting thru ice fishing suits, but guess not?

[klb]

I got a bunch to start with as they were coming and going, but got impatient and beat on the outer wall when a crap load came out and swarmed me

This level of enthusiasm in many of my life's endeavors has gotten me in trouble more than a few times.  

Pity there is no video.  

I was taking down a rotted old tiny lawn mower shed soon after moving into my home, and the sledge hammer resulted in a few thousand black widow spiders (and termites) running all over the place.  It's a good thing the shed was too small for me to get inside (more like a big wooden box), or it would have been much worse.  I had never seen so many spiders at one time in my life.

My first two run-ins with yellow jackets was using my gas blower to move lawn refuse into the yard corners where I clean it up by hand.  Right after the blow job, squatting down with a couple dust pans right over a ground nest will get them all exited, and then you run a five flat 100 yard dash (and they still get you).  

This was the beginning of my lifetime Jihad against yellow jackets.  

Something about older age has made the stings much much worse than in my childhood.

The Black Widow is a beautiful Spider as long as they are not
too close to me. When I worked as a service tech at Coca Cola
in the mid 1980's I was changing out a cooling unit
in a vending machine at a convenience store and when I grabbed
the condenser to lift it up and out I felt something touch my hand.
Yep it was a huge Black Widow. I slung her off faster than the
speed of a 30.06 bullet. From then on I had thick white gloves
that went up a good ways up my arms. Every time I look at my
little slant shelf Coke machine the first thing I think of is the
Black Widow. They make a nice home for them.               

[klb]

As a teenager I worked with my dad and cousin on a hay baling crew with my grandfather. Since it was his rig he got the easy job...he drove the tractor. I found out why that wasn't necessarily the best option. He drove over an in-ground nest of bumble bees...didn't know old granddad could move that fast. At that moment, old gramps looked like a Dutch windbill on legs...arms flailing like crazy. He only got a couple hits but didn't slow him down. In his rather dry tone, he suggested we break for an early lunch in order for things to die down.

I had always heard that Bumble Bees did not sting. I was driving a
truck up in Burnsville NC when something nailed me under my left
arm in the upper tender part. I grabbed my shirt sleeve to try and
isolate whatever it might be or Bee.    Got pulled over on the side
of the back road and took my shirt off and shook it out and at first I
didn't see anything then I looked at the bottom of the door panel
where I kept my wipe down rag and there it was a Bumble Bee.
I used the rag to hold it and it's stinger was going in
and out like a Singer sewing machine. Then I looked to the house
on my left and saw a older couple on their porch swing having a
field day watching me so I smiled and waved then left.  The sting
swelled up about the size of a golf ball and turned red and
purple with weird looking rings around it.
When I got home that evening I used the magic google to see why
a Bumble Bee had stung me. Turns out I had been given bogus
info on them it says they are reluctant to sting but if they do look
out. I guess it had been in my sleeve for long enough and got
pissed off and stung me. 

[klb]

You can spend a lot of time and money removing unwanted bees such as hornets and yellow jackets.  However, you can do a better job faster and a lot cheaper if you can find a powdered pesticide like 7 dust.  The 7 dust needs to be 10% or better.  A teaspoon of that placed at the entrance of the hive will quiet the entire hive in just a few minutes………..and in the future, any bee that wanders into that hive looking for a  new home for his family will not wander back out to invite them.  Problem solved very easy! 

A plastic spoon taped to the end of a fishing rod will keep you a distance from the hive entrance for delivery purposes if yellow jackets (usually ground hives).  For hornet nests higher up, I have found creative ways to deliver the powder to the hive entrance without having any of the bees bother me.

The bees will track the powder into and thru the entire nest in their normal routine.  No need to work to get them all!  It is easy!

  I gonna have to get some of that to make it easier.
Lord knows a Shopvac ain't the answer.. 

[Patrick]

You can spend a lot of time and money removing unwanted bees such as hornets and yellow jackets.  However, you can do a better job faster and a lot cheaper if you can find a powdered pesticide like 7 dust.  The 7 dust needs to be 10% or better.  A teaspoon of that placed at the entrance of the hive will quiet the entire hive in just a few minutes………..and in the future, any bee that wanders into that hive looking for a  new home for his family will not wander back out to invite them.  Problem solved very easy! 

A plastic spoon taped to the end of a fishing rod will keep you a distance from the hive entrance for delivery purposes if yellow jackets (usually ground hives).  For hornet nests higher up, I have found creative ways to deliver the powder to the hive entrance without having any of the bees bother me.

The bees will track the powder into and thru the entire nest in their normal routine.  No need to work to get them all!  It is easy!

  I gonna have to get some of that to make it easier.
Lord knows a Shopvac ain't the answer.. 

Shopvac ?  LOL. I used one the time the bees were in the bedroom wall. I saw them flying in and set the vac up and left it running for several days. When it had 6 or 7 gallons of them in it I kinda thought the nest was empty. Nope, not even close.

[Farside]

I don't mess with Hornets Those guys are Big and nasty. Glad you took care of them. However it was a Hornets nest that got me married I'll explain at InZane 2022 over some coffee. 

   That sounds like it would be an interesting story.

It is a good story especially after  some 30 years with Boy/Girl twins. 

[John Schmidt]

Some years ago we had a neighbor that melted lead to make his own bullets and fishing weights. He called me over one day and showed me a huge vat of melting lead, then took it out in the yard and poured it in a ground nest. Took care of the problem.

Just recalled a lunch run we were making with some friends one weekend back when we were active in the GWRRA. Riding along a country road when suddenly the leader's wife started to jump and slap at something on her lap. They pulled over and she jumps off the bike and rips her shorts off right alongside the highway with cars going by. While getting all kinds of horns tooting at her, she's pulling at her crotch and still slapping at it. Soon I noticed a large bee, now dead, drop out of her underwear. It had apparently flown up the pantleg of her shorts while riding, that's a rather tender area for a bee sting so can imagine her discomfort for the next few hours. For some reason she was the only one not laughing while doing the roadside dance. Later her husband commented dryly..."she always was a good dancer." Again...she saw no humor in it! 

[cookiedough]

amusing story John of lady getting off cycle and ripping her shorts off dancing and swatting around down there.  I had the same problem wearing shorts on a cycle and yes it hurts when they get up there and sting but the few bee stings were on the inner part of my legs up near the privates.  However, I wear tight briefs, not boxers, so nothing is getting up there that far, or so I hope....   Probably too much information....        It does hurt but not enough to wipe out or stop the cycle and get off and undress.


KLB,  as far as bumble bee stings, yes they do.  I thought otherwise as well but have had 2x's in my garden of green beans a bumble bee just going from green bean plant to plant pollinating or just buzzing around and WAMMO,  hurts pretty bad on the hand/arm or leg.    They usually though are pretty calm and just buzz away unless you keep pissing them off like I was doing trying to pick green beans.