Basketball size hornet nest?..HELP !

My preacher just called me and has a hornet nest on a thumb sized sapling ONLY A FOOT OFF THE GROUND. Its in a small woodlot full of leaves and other flammables.

Soooo, spraying from underneath AT NIGHT is outa the question...I'm thinking.

I'm considering, at night:

1)Have cardboard box handy

2)Lopper cut sapling just below opening while grabbing (gently) above nest

3)Lopper cut just above nest--dropping it into box--while the lopper guy is spraying the nest as soon as it lands inside the box.

OR OR OR

1)friend shines light from safe distance and 90* to the side

2)cut open nest while spraying simultaneously

CAN I SMOKE THEM OUT ???????

Just don't double dribble.

Can you come film this fiasco Paul?

Don't think if they are bald face or yellow jackets that they wont act aggressively after dark once they detect some sort of disturbance to the nest. Better be protected to some degree.

We foam the entry hole then insert a straw attached to a pyrethrin aerosol can into the nest in a few places. Give a couple of shots and let things die. Once things quiet down you can remove the nest safely. There will be some that will most likely escape no doubt but they wont be able to reestablish this season.

Bob--FOAM like Greatstuff?

Darn, wouldn't you know it! Everybody has a bee suit except me. ( Must be why I can run so fast for my age. Fear is a great incentive )

Box, no; large trash bag, yes. Easier and quicker to close up.
Cover up as best you can, slip bag under, then up and over nest, closing it up tight around the branch.
Have stupid friend that works for beer, lop off branch.
Duct tape bag closed, then poke hole in bag to spray wasp etc killer in bag.
Run like the wind.
Good luck

traprjohn, however you do it , take video & post

I bet all the Orkin's of the world are laughing at this thread.

I've done as BigBob suggested, but spray the inside of bag first, slip it up and over, cinch tight and put a zip tie around it. BUT, that was hanging on a bird house from a string, no branches were in the way.

Just kick it like a soccer ball and run.

Dave, the Orkins of the world are wondering, after spending millions on advertising, how the trapjohns of the world are still getting these jobs.

Perhaps....but did you notice I didn't say PCO? At least the branding is working...

LOL !...Because I got the bats outa his attic 2 yrs ago.

Flamethrower from 30 feet....no suit required...lol
I like the box idea better due to jockeying hive into flexible bag BUT GET A BOX WITH A LID. Used that tactic before and it was slick.....did have to cut down box a bit so it could be positioned under tree easier. Good luck and as Paul mentioned have your running shoes on.

pco fogger on the end of a 14 foot extendable pole will work just fine. i have removed around 20 this year so far and have not had any problems. set off fogger and shove in the entrance hole of the hive. let the can run out of juice. wait ten to fifteen minutes. that is when i usally get the paper work filled out. then go remove the hive. most of the time i am in and out in 20-25 minutes. of course then talk to the customer for another 20-30 minutes

Okay this might sound crazy but I've always sprayed wasp nests with starter fluid/ether and have never been stung!! Would that not work on a hornets nest??

In my area a basketball sized nest, in my experience, is always white/bald faced hornets. They're one of the meanest, most aggressive critters alive.

I got a call, two weeks ago, about such a situation and went to check it out. Yep, hornets.

I used the trash bag and duck tape method and only got stung six times. Twice in the face and four times on my right arm. No, I wasn't wearing any protective clothing. I ain't skeered of no bees.

Other than the jolt and pain, which faded fast, I was good to go and once again proved myself bullet proof to insect stings. It happens every summer. Nothing to think about except how bullet proof I am. There was hardly even a mark one hour later.

The next morning I awoke with what is commonly called (I am told) a localized allergic reaction. My right arm was twice it's normal size, bright red, all the nerves were screaming and itching like no tomorrow. I was a little distressed so I called the doctor.

The less than friendly nurse said 'what do you expect? It's called a localized, allergic reaction. Take some Benadryl. It will be gone in a week.' And it was.

Looked awful. Felt worse. But ran it's course and all is well.

Lesson learned? Tyvek suits are our friend.

This must be breaking news because I haven't read about it anywhere on this post, but if you go to places that sell things, you might

notice an entire aisle of cans. On these cans are words. When positioned properly, these words spell out Wasp and Hornet Spray. What

are those cans used for?

I think the label will tell you how to do it too

If it were me I would get a can of hornet/wasp spray and go in at night, carefully crawl up to the nest with your headlamp on and hold the can directly under the nest at close range (six inches or so) and shoot the solid stream right into the entry hole and keep spraying. They will not be able to get out with any ability to do anything once soaked and will quickly die.

I would also get the preacher to say a prayer for me before I did this.

This is what it should look like when you are done:

This was after I sprayed that one the other day and they really jammed the hole as they died.

This is what you will look like if things don't go as planned:

YES, went and watched them coming and going. White faced for sure.
Here's a pic of it.

That's a beauty! You might be able to bag it with help.

Be careful with hornet spray. If it's legal for you to use it, I would. In NH we can't apply pesticides without a pest control license. Homeowners can but WCO's can't.

Whether you bag it or spray it, it would probably be wise to suit up.

By your picture it looks like the solid stream hornet spray would do the job and you would not have to approach nearly as close as I earlier suggested ...but go at night. Six feet away will probably work. Just direct the solid stream directly on the opening and keep it going until the can is empty. Try to get it aimed into the hole at an angle where it gets into the nest as far as possible too. Good luck! That might be a nest worth hanging on the wall if it does not get damaged. Don't try to do this before you spray.

Bee suits are $98.

I would burn it. Take a couple rags and wrap around a long stick.
Dip in diesel and light. Burn nest. Have a couple pails of water along to put out any remaining fire.
Make sure you wait till after dark.

Or you could just wait for those long red things with the sirens to pull up. They could probably spray that burning nest into the next county.

Shop vac and a little dish liquid will do the trick, I do these all the time without sprays and chemicals so no need for pco license.

Dish soap...and raccoon pee would be pesticides in this manner....

You could let some skunks go...and let them show you how it's done

If it's a problem and you can't spray it with bug spray; tearing it apart by standing back a safe distance and firing 7 1/2 12 guage bird shot into it will destroy it enough that birds will eat the surviving hornets and larvae. Plus it's kind of fun.

Keith

Just smack the crap out of it with a stick until all the bees are dead!

Not big enough for a 12 gauge. A 20 would do that one,with lead. Drop the lead out of 12 and replace with wheat. Environmentally friendly

Reminds me of one of the funniest commercials I've ever seen. I'm talking about wet-your-pants funny, but I'll be danged if I know what the commercial was selling:

Idiot 1 (We'll call him Moe) convinces Idiot 2 ("Larry") to climb a stepladder set up under the branch with the very active hornets nest ("I saw this technique on the internet!"). Larry is to lop off the branch with the nest, which will drop into a waiting trash can. Moe will then clap the lid on the can.
What could go wrong?...
Welll,,,,
Larry succeeds at cleanly clipping the nest directly into the trash can, then loses his balance and falls headfirst into the seething hornet reservoir. The clip ends with Larry's feet kicking wildly as Moe bravely runs away.
Wink, I'm sure the "Adventures With Bill" segment of the "Red Green" show has explicit instructions on some clever, innovative ways of doing this...

Dave, just remember, when it comes to falling off of things, I taught Bill everything he knows.

LOL, I remember it well, and you know what, I can't for the life of me remember what they were selling either! I think it was some Hospital ER. The punch line was, "Because people do stupid things".

It looks like I'm paying the price for recording every TV show I watch and fast-forwarding through the commercials. Haven't seen one in years.

I'm severely allergic to bee and wasp stings. Even have several EpiPens in my gear. Not too long ago I was setting up some training and there was a nest about that size in a shrub right outside the door of the residence we were using. Best trick I ever heard was a 20lb CO2 fire extinguisher and "freeze" them out. Two guys who work for me and I decided to try it (one just wanted to slam the EpiPen in my leg!) so we slapped on the Carhartt clothing, I had the CO2, one guy had a larger trash bag, and the third had loppers. A few blasts from the CO2 and the wasps were falling out of the entry hole like rain! I'd hit them again on the ground, then back to the hive. Took about 3 or 4 min to use the whole extinguisher and not a single sting or angry one anywhere! We bagged the hive and taped the whole thing closed. A day later there was no activity in the bag, but the shrubs looked like heck where they got froze.

I'd like to be the first to say it, "That was cool!"

Can I ask what you all are charging to do one of these hornet jobs start to finish?
I keep getting laughed at.....

Whatever we charge, it ain't nearly enough to cover the cost of the wasp and hornet spray. Global warming is actually caused by our

technicians. They must come out of the truck with a can in each hand and they must not take their finger off the button until the

cans are empty. Then the reach into their backpacks, grab two more cans and repeat the process. This heats up the earth and causes

more yellow jackets to flourish. The only thing I can hope for is that Obama's Global Warming Reduction Plan includes our techs. Now

I'm probably getting laughed at too.

My son used his face to draw some yellow jackets out of an air vent. I'm glad he dropped by for some Benadryl. He looks really cool

with a swollen face and big red ears.

Hey, whatever works! LOL

Wow! All i use is Appicide.A powder,my product of choice,AI being carbal,sevin dust.Quicker than pyrethiens.I ont use a bee suit,dont care for them.Do them as I get the call,dont have to wait till night.So far this season 47 yellow jacket nests,3stings.Took my grandson out this afternoon to a friend of my wifes house.In ground nest,2 entrances dusted them both,then stepped back to watch the carnage!
For the above ground nests I use ice tubbing on the end of bulb duster,supported by bamboo rod.Tubbing tapped to rod.
Used to use the pro control plus on a extension pole.

Sevin dust is what we use and it works pretty good.

I got a call yesterday from a local pest control company I get ADC referrals from about yellowjackets in a wall of a house. They know I do honeybee cut outs.
I met the tech and the homeowner and listened to them buzzing in a closet ceiling. I don't know what the tech sprayed in the hole they were going in and out of but she sure put the smack down on them quick. It was something with perytherin in it. She dropped them like a bad habit. It looked like they were trying to drag larve out after 2-3 minutes but they were falling out dead.
It really warmed my heart as many times as they have lit me up stumbling through the woods.

The tech had asked me what I thought would be the best method to get them out of the wall space. You should of seen the look on the techs face when I told them they were'nt honeybees. A can of gas and a match would have been my first choice.
The homeowner fell out laughing.

CHOOT EM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well if the landowner wasn't in a hurry to get rid of'em, wait till your first frost, and you can cut the nest down leavin some of the limb's that it is made on, then put it in a garbage sack give it a good dose of hornet spray and tie the bag closed, put it in another bag to be sure and then take it somewere warm and leave it overnight, next day take it outside and open it up and empty the dead guys out, then take pictures of it and puttem on e-bay, wont be long you'll be stickin some cash in your pocket, around here that nest should bring 300 bucks easy, make sure to leave 10 inches or more of the limbs it's built on,i work in the woods logging and i see a few and that's wat i do,,also whatever spray you use, test spray a little spot on the entrance hole to make sure the type of spray doesn't dissolve the nest, easy money,,,,remember good freeze and good spray, and warm place overnite, and open bag outside====money

What ever happened, how'd it turn out?

Well, he called me bout a week ago and said something ripped the nest to shreds, so I don't get to crawl up to it in the dark after all.

I told him it was probably a skunk.

Wait for the first cold snap at night " bees " don't fly at night "and cut all branches from around the nest . Put on a pair of gloves and pick it up slowly and carefully . Put in the box and secure the lid . Drill a small hope in an upper corner just big enough that you can insert the hose from wasp spray . Spray entire can into box wait 15 min and remove lid clean bees out . Spray with hairspray to protect then and keep thier shape . Hang it in your man cave or sell it to your taxidermy man ! make a couple bucks . PS After it gets cool and only at night . My momma always said a word to the wise was sufficient ! I have several and I have yet to be stung ! Don't drink 4 or 5 beers and get superman on it or the out come will be much different ! Good luck