? Large hornets nest- Will frost kill them ?

[Quakerfriend]

Can someone lend their advice?

I would prefer not to use any chemicals. And, since frost is predicted this evening in my area...I'm wondering if I can try to remove the nest after the frost hits.

Thx for any info you can give!

[billybob537]

1. No but it will

MAKE THEM VERY SLEEPY WHEN IT'S VERY COLD. You can remove the nest in the coldest part of the morning put it in a metal trash barrel with some diesel fuel and burn it.

[willing dwarf]

2. Perhaps you can email Tom DeLay,Mr. Bugman

He might be cooling his heals soon and have time to spare on such issues.

Meanwhile, I don't know if the cold will kill them, but like all insects, when it's cold, they drop off to sleep. You can pluck down the nest and burn it. But how to make the spot less inviting next year? Maybe steel wool to plug the hole if they nest in a hole...Good luck! Long sleeves would help!

[notadmblnd]

3. They'll go dormant but I don't think it will kill them

I'll tell you what wont work, those wasp/hornet traps that they sell at Home depot and other places. I had several hives in the ground around my house and I ended up using wasp spray and it took two applications to get rid of them.

I've heard gas works and some people say bleach works, I know the bleach didn't and I was afraid to use gas. after my new neighbor got stung several time (he ran over the hive with his lawnmower) I used the spray.

[TalkingDog]

4. Wait until it's really cold every day, then remove the nest.

You can probably kill them by digging a nice deep hole and burying the whole thing. Eventually they'll all smother.

If you've got woods, just take it somewhere far away and leave it if you have an aversion to killing things.

Other than that, chemicals will probably have to be used.

[leveymg]

9. I'm with you as far as taking them into the woods in a trash can.

But, when you release the lid, tie a l-o-n-g piece of rope to the lid, yank, and run like hell!

[HereSince1628]

5. If they aren't causing trouble, I'd say don't mess with them at all.

But, if you want to remove the nests, hornets and other insects can't fly when it gets cold, they can still crawl around (and sting) but when they are cold, stiff and slow moving whacking their nest is much less exciting.

[formercia]

6. I don't mind them

they provide a useful service in my garden. once they get used to you, they can be approached very closely and will eventually ignore you, but I noticed that strangers who approach do get attention. I think they recognize scent. Women with perfume on seem to agitate them the most. It may have to do with mimicking the alarm scent they give off when threatened.

[notadmblnd]

14. What good do they perform in the garden?

Cause I know they're harmful to bees. And I love my bees so the wasps have to go.

[xultar]

7. nope, but they'll be knocked down so you can take the nest down and deal

with it.

[dweller]

8. hornets or wasps?

either way, the queen will seek hiberation soon, if not already, the others usually die off with the cold. If you wait a bit longer for a cold snap, they'll be gone.

eventually the raccoons/possums will destroy a hornet's nest for the pupa left over, or at least that's what happens to mine. I wanted to save a nest (one the hornets had made from spun fiberglass insulation, pink and grey swirls) but the critters always get them first.

dp

[Quakerfriend]

10. Thank you all for your advice!

A large limb has fallen from the tree, splitting their nest in half. They are continuing to use both portions of the nest.

I am trying to sell the property. So, hoping to cut the fallen limb up as soon as possible and get rid of it.

I will wait unti we have some consistently cold weather.

Thx again!!

[AllegroRondo]

11. Hair spray works

seriously.

it stiffens their wings and they cant fly. Then you can just step on them.

[Dogmudgeon]

12. They're all dead after the first serious cold spell

The first time the temperature goes below freezing for more than a day or so, they will all be dead.

Most will be dead after the first killing frost. If this is the first frost at all -- I'm guessing you live near Philadelphia, like I do -- a majority will die, but there will still be many left.

I also have observed that the wasp/yellow jacket population has been low over the past three or four years, and they've been fairly docile, except on very warm late-summer days.

The bugs that build the big nests are actually "polistine" wasps, IIRC. True hornets are Eurasian, and are rare in North America outside of the west coast. True hornets are enormous (a full inch long) but a lot more docile than wasps. They build smallish colonies of 20-100 insects and one queen in the crooks of trees and in tight spaces in houses. They are frightening as hell, but are quite wimpy, at least from my own terrifying (but unstung) experience with them in the Sacramento Valley area.

If the wasps haven't been bothering you, and you don't want to use insecticides, leave the nest alone. Even a dozen live wasps can inject you with enough venom to kill you if you're sensitive at all. And it will be cold enough soon enough.

There are eco-friendly insecticides, too. Chrysanthemum extract is sold and used as an organic insecticide. You can also make a decoction of tobacco in alcohol or water, or get fancy and use a mild Castile soap. And the popular new anti-wasp insecticide is made from mint oil and an emulsifier (basically a natural, chemically simple soap).

Good luck!

--p!

[Quakerfriend]

15. Thank you, Pigwidgeon! You are just full of great info!!

These are giant hornets (Vespa crabro germana) and their nest is at least 12" in diameter. Thx for letting me know that they are fairly docile.

It's going to dip below freezing tonight so, I'll check them out in the morning.

Crazy thing is, I would love to save the nest and let my kids study it a bit!!

I will keep you posted.:9

[Dogmudgeon]

16. More hornetary information

Thanks -- most people say I'm full of something, but it's usually not "great info"! :)

I studied up on stinging insects when I discovered, as a child, that I was allergic to them. I don't get the life-threatening full-bore anaphylactic shock reaction, I get the flu-like two-day fever reaction. But I also developed a hefty phobia along the way.

I found one website you should probably take a look at, "Hornets -- The Gentle Giants", which was authored by an amateur German entomologist, Dieter Kosmeier. The English language page is here and there is a page on preserving empty nests. If you want the kids to see and study the nest, you may want to put the nest in a big trash bag and leave it outside but in a sheltered place so that the next few cold nights can finish the job. (Of course, since I'm writing at 2AM EDT, it may be too late!)

Kosmeier confirms that hornets are docile insects, and even has a photograph of a woman with a hornet on her nose demonstrating this docility.

However, the range for North American V. crabro germana is given as the Eastern forestland. This directly contradicts my own experience as well as other sources I consulted -- and your experience, as well. I can only say that the hornet populations in North America may be underappreciated and poorly surveyed, or perhaps different subspecies have different ranges.

It also seems that hornets are an endangered, protected species in the EU, and deliberate destruction of nests can bring a hefty fine.

Anyway, that's the primer on hornets.

--p!

[Ready4Change]

13. Early in the morning before the sun starts warming them up

The cooler/colder it is, the better. I've not tried the trash can into the woods thing, but if you are killing averse that seems the likely way. The long rope is a good idea, as they may warm up inside that can during the trip. Not good thing.

They do become inactive/die out over winter, so if you get a long freeze that could do it. (I believe they can weather over night time freezes and frosts, though.)

I've either used the knock it down in the morning, run, and avoid it all day long method, or the wasp/hornet spray poisons.

Some others mentioned a lack of success with the sprays. To make them work you must get the spray INSIDE the nest. Ground nests are tough because it's hard to get the spray down inside the tunnels. Those other nests with the tiny openings are also tough, as that little opening is hard to hit. However, once you hit it, any inside that try to fly out can't. The hardest, to me, are the large, wide open nests. They look like sunflowers and are often attached to the outside eaves of my house. Nothing to stop them from flying off when the spray hits and then the chase is on!

I've managed to do all these without getting stung. But that's because I usually do it in the dawn hours when they are least active.

Why have I done so many nests? Hummingbird feeders. Love those little birds, but a side effect is a big increase in sweets loving bees and hornets.

[BeFree]

17. Pesky little boogers aren't they?

They build nests under eaves, etc. because its dry there. Water and wasps don't mix. A couple of good dousings with a water hose usually makes a nest very uncomfortable. And if you are quick enough with the hose you can do battle with the ones that fight back! Maybe an h20 attack at night would be best?

Ground nests are easily destroyed by filling with water... no poisons necessary. Skunks like to eat ground nests, and bears too, I would imagine.

I've recovered a few nests over the years, fascinating structures.

[benburch]

18. Hitting them with a CO2 fire extinguisher will ensure they are fozen...

After which they should be easy to deal with.

[Quakerfriend]

19. Update:

Hi all!:hi:

Thx for the wonderful education you've given me!

On Sat @7:30am (Temp 43) hubbie and I scoped out the nest. There was one hornet crawling around ~1 ft. from the nest.

We began cutting with the chainsaw at a distance 6 feet above the nest and gradually worked our way down. The hornets were all too drowsy to move much!! I eventually carried the section containing the nest into the woods a distance away.

I was so happy not to have to use any chemicals!! I now have a new respect for these 'gentle giants'.