Removed a hornets' nest without poison

[Jomar]

A swarm of bald-faced hornets (technically a type of wasp) decided to make a nest right outside the side door of my house this past week. I figured I'd need to get a can of Raid or some other noxious poison to get rid of them. But instead I waited for a cool day (today, as it turns out) when the wasps wouldn't be so active. I then took a plastic grocery bag, threw on some gloves, covered the nest in the bag, then pinched the nest off where it was attached to the house, dropping the nest into the bag. I tied the bag off, et voila, no need for nasty poison and saved myself a few bucks on Raid! Of course, now I have an angry hornets' nest in a bag to deal with...

[OddOne]

Nice and seriously ballsy!

[Thegoblinchief]

Being right next to the house is bad, but if you  garden at all those are a good predatory insect to keep pests down.

[MrsPotts]

A good squirt with a pressure hose will get them, too.

[TomTX]

We get wasps on our porches all the time, until the lizards eat them. If they're the mellow reddish-brown ones, I leave them alone. The nasty yellow/black ones, I wait until a cool morning, then knock down the nest with a stick and RUN :D

After the nest is on the ground, they abandon it and move elsewhere.

[GuitarStv]

I got rid of a hornets nest one time without using poison.  I opened our garden shed door and the nest fell on my head, then slid down the back of my shirt.  The hornets emerged and began to sting.  Screaming, I pulled off my shirt while running to our back door with a cloud of angry hornets swarming over me.  My wife saw me coming and locked the door to prevent the hornets from getting inside.  It turns out I couldn't really outrun hornets.

Your method seems better.

[Zaga]

OMG GuitarStv!  I would have been in the hospital, yikes!

We have a nest that I'm not sure how to get rid of.  It's in the vent from our stove.  It's a rather large vent, and is completely full of this nest.  Didn't notice it until now because we don't use that vent, it's for the basement kitchen.  I'm sort of terrified of it because of the chance of getting stung and ending up in the ER.

Any ideas?

[Hedge_87]

Lol you are way tougher than me! My last run in with a hornets nest was pretty comical. My mother in law had an overhead line running from her house to the garage. She was concerned about it and wanted it upgraded. Being the good son in law I am I had no problem doing so. So I climbed the ladder with my voltmeter in hand to determine which was phase and neutral. After that I had DW in the house and told her to kill the breaker. She yelled back ok it's off so I tested potential to confirm and went to work. At that very moment a swarm of 1000's of wasp came out from a hole in the eaves.  Before I knew it i was getting stung all over and was cussing and trying to get off the ladder and swinging my hat around like crazy. Meanwhile DW who was coming out to watch/hand me tools came bursting through the door because she thought she had flipped the wrong breaker and I was being electrocuted. She quickly realized what was happening and ran back inside and shut the door behind her leaving me to fend for myself lol.

[Greg]

A swarm of bald-faced hornets (technically a type of wasp) decided to make a nest right outside the side door of my house this past week. I figured I'd need to get a can of Raid or some other noxious poison to get rid of them. But instead I waited for a cool day (today, as it turns out) when the wasps wouldn't be so active. I then took a plastic grocery bag, threw on some gloves, covered the nest in the bag, then pinched the nest off where it was attached to the house, dropping the nest into the bag. I tied the bag off, et voila, no need for nasty poison and saved myself a few bucks on Raid! Of course, now I have an angry hornets' nest in a bag to deal with...

Nice job.  Stick it in the freezer overnight.  That works wonders.  And you have a nice conversation piece.

[GuitarStv]

She quickly realized what was happening and ran back inside and shut the door behind her leaving me to fend for myself lol.

This appears to be a disturbingly common reaction.

[Hedge_87]

She quickly realized what was happening and ran back inside and shut the door behind her leaving me to fend for myself lol.

This appears to be a disturbingly common reaction.

That was partly why I posted my story lol. I alway thought we where partners for better or worse lol I think there should be an * concerning swarms of hornets

[NinetyFour]

If it's a nest outside under an eave of my house, I will wait until nighttime (cool temps) and knock it down.  I assume that doing so doesn't kill the hornets/wasps, but they will have to relocate.

OMG GuitarStv!  I would have been in the hospital, yikes!

We have a nest that I'm not sure how to get rid of.  It's in the vent from our stove.  It's a rather large vent, and is completely full of this nest.  Didn't notice it until now because we don't use that vent, it's for the basement kitchen.  I'm sort of terrified of it because of the chance of getting stung and ending up in the ER.

Any ideas?

Zaga--I dealt with a similar situation in my mom's house some years ago.  Maybe it was bad, but I did end up killing the bees that had made a home in the vent.  I waited until nighttime, then opened up the vent and sprayed the Raid.  To me, that was better than having bees in my mom's kitchen every morning.

But you may want to consult a professional in your case?

[Zaga]

If it's a nest outside under an eave of my house, I will wait until nighttime (cool temps) and knock it down.  I assume that doing so doesn't kill the hornets/wasps, but they will have to relocate.

OMG GuitarStv!  I would have been in the hospital, yikes!

We have a nest that I'm not sure how to get rid of.  It's in the vent from our stove.  It's a rather large vent, and is completely full of this nest.  Didn't notice it until now because we don't use that vent, it's for the basement kitchen.  I'm sort of terrified of it because of the chance of getting stung and ending up in the ER.

Any ideas?

Zaga--I dealt with a similar situation in my mom's house some years ago.  Maybe it was bad, but I did end up killing the bees that had made a home in the vent.  I waited until nighttime, then opened up the vent and sprayed the Raid.  To me, that was better than having bees in my mom's kitchen every morning.

But you may want to consult a professional in your case?

Perhaps we should.  Though it's the vent leading to the basement kitchen, and no wasps are getting into the house currently.  If the Raid comes out though they may try to "escape" into the house.

Well, it's not an emergency yet, so we'll think about it.  Thanks!

[NinetyFour]

If it's a nest outside under an eave of my house, I will wait until nighttime (cool temps) and knock it down.  I assume that doing so doesn't kill the hornets/wasps, but they will have to relocate.

OMG GuitarStv!  I would have been in the hospital, yikes!

We have a nest that I'm not sure how to get rid of.  It's in the vent from our stove.  It's a rather large vent, and is completely full of this nest.  Didn't notice it until now because we don't use that vent, it's for the basement kitchen.  I'm sort of terrified of it because of the chance of getting stung and ending up in the ER.

Any ideas?

Zaga--I dealt with a similar situation in my mom's house some years ago.  Maybe it was bad, but I did end up killing the bees that had made a home in the vent.  I waited until nighttime, then opened up the vent and sprayed the Raid.  To me, that was better than having bees in my mom's kitchen every morning.

But you may want to consult a professional in your case?

Perhaps we should.  Though it's the vent leading to the basement kitchen, and no wasps are getting into the house currently.  If the Raid comes out though they may try to "escape" into the house.

Well, it's not an emergency yet, so we'll think about it.  Thanks!

Yeah--the trick is to deal with it when it is cool, and the hornets/bees are too sleepy to fly.  Perhaps when you are ready to do the deed, you could seal the vent at the basement kitchen end.  Good luck!

[Kriegsspiel]

Pretty much any type of firearm would kill a hornet's nest. Very quick and easy, plus you can do it from a distance. Maybe next time someone finds a hornet's nest they can try it and report back how it goes?

[Jomar]

If it's a nest outside under an eave of my house, I will wait until nighttime (cool temps) and knock it down.  I assume that doing so doesn't kill the hornets/wasps, but they will have to relocate.

OMG GuitarStv!  I would have been in the hospital, yikes!

We have a nest that I'm not sure how to get rid of.  It's in the vent from our stove.  It's a rather large vent, and is completely full of this nest.  Didn't notice it until now because we don't use that vent, it's for the basement kitchen.  I'm sort of terrified of it because of the chance of getting stung and ending up in the ER.

Any ideas?

Zaga--I dealt with a similar situation in my mom's house some years ago.  Maybe it was bad, but I did end up killing the bees that had made a home in the vent.  I waited until nighttime, then opened up the vent and sprayed the Raid.  To me, that was better than having bees in my mom's kitchen every morning.

But you may want to consult a professional in your case?

Perhaps we should.  Though it's the vent leading to the basement kitchen, and no wasps are getting into the house currently.  If the Raid comes out though they may try to "escape" into the house.

Well, it's not an emergency yet, so we'll think about it.  Thanks!

My other idea was a shop vac. It would be scary as shit, but with a powerful enough vac and a cold enough night, you might be able to suck them all out. I wouldn't recommend sealing up the vent though. Wasps will find a way through. I remember my dad did this once when we were kids and we ended up with a house full of wasps. We were finding them until Christmas. Also, if you use Raid, you probably won't have a problem with them getting into the house- it pretty well kills them instantly.

[Jomar]

Being right next to the house is bad, but if you  garden at all those are a good predatory insect to keep pests down.

Yes I would have left them if they were somewhere further from the house as we have pretty bad mosquito and aphid problems currently, but they were stuck on the light fixture right above the door! (And for future reference, even though there was a 60W bulb in the fixture, turning the fixture on and leaving it doesn't seem to produce enough heat to get rid of them.)

[guitar_stitch]

Pretty much any type of firearm would kill a hornet's nest. Very quick and easy, plus you can do it from a distance. Maybe next time someone finds a hornet's nest they can try it and report back how it goes?

This would work well, I'm sure.  XD

[bognish]

I tried the shop vac approach to a wasp nest in a vent semi-successfully. It started well by getting any would be attackers pulled into the black hole. Unfortunately part way through the job the nest got dislodged from the wall of the vent. It was too big to fit in the shop vac hose, so I was left standing on the top step of a ladder with the shop vac body in 1 hand, the hose in the other with a football size wasp nest clogging the end of the hose. If you try this approach I would recommend having a can of Raid in arms reach as a back up. Flip flops and shorts are not recommended as optimal safety gear. Cold beer close at hand helps ice any resulting swelling. I didn't have to worry about getting locked out by my laughing wife and in laws, because I fell on the nest crushing most of the non-sucked up attackers and knocking the wind out of my self so I could only moan and roll away. I would recommend covering any vent with tight screens once the bugs are gone.

[Hedge_87]

oh man bognish! sounds like a disaster! at least you landed on the nest it could have went the other way.

[Jomar]

So what Bognish is saying is, the Shop Vac method totally works.

[LibrarIan]

So can anyone speak to the idea that if a hornet is crushed to death, its death somehow draws other hornets to the scene? I've heard on nature shows and the like that if a hornet is killed it releases some sort of pheromone into the air that simultaneously interests and angers other hornets, causing them to attack living things in the area of the dead hornet. That sounds completely terrifying.

[Spork]

So can anyone speak to the idea that if a hornet is crushed to death, its death somehow draws other hornets to the scene? I've heard on nature shows and the like that if a hornet is killed it releases some sort of pheromone into the air that simultaneously interests and angers other hornets, causing them to attack living things in the area of the dead hornet. That sounds completely terrifying.

I can't comment on the crushing, but I have read  that if an angry wasp/bee "bumps" you -- it's both a warning to you and a marker so that other wasps/bees can find you if the attack signal is given.

[usmarine1975]

I had a small bee's nest in a vent on the side of the house just steps away from my son's sand box.  The wife gave the order and I attacked.  I hosed it down first with water.  Then I grabbed some Raid Wasp spray and finished the job because they started to rebuild their nest in the same vent.  My son is only 2 so it was not an option the Bee's had on their plate.

[bognish]

Crushed bees emit an "under attach" smell that signal the rest of the hive. So does the act of them stinging. That is one of the reason bee keepers use smoke, to cover up that alarm smell. 

Bees also focus in on carbon dioxide when they are going to attach, since this will help them hone in on noses, eyes and other sensitive parts of a skunk, bear or other animal likely to go face first into a hive. So if a bee/wasp lands on your arm, it is a better idea to brush it off rather than try and blow it off.

[sheepstache]

I am excited to report that I found an excellent video of someone successfully using the shop vac approach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk52XA4rFpw
If you are into woodworking, this guy's other videos are good.  He's a bit of a savant.

[Spork]

I am excited to report that I found an excellent video of someone successfully using the shop vac approach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk52XA4rFpw
If you are into woodworking, this guy's other videos are good.  He's a bit of a savant.

"Uh oh.  ... So I've discovered this screen is not entirely wasp proof..."

That's really not what you want to hear, is it?

[2Optimists]

My brother has some bees nest under his house. He hired a professional to remove them who used a shop vac. Turned out they were killer bees, and VERY aggressive so all were glad it was a pro and not us! But it was interesting to watch - from inside!

[sheepstache]

I am excited to report that I found an excellent video of someone successfully using the shop vac approach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk52XA4rFpw
If you are into woodworking, this guy's other videos are good.  He's a bit of a savant.

"Uh oh.  ... So I've discovered this screen is not entirely wasp proof..."

That's really not what you want to hear, is it?

Depends whether you're the guy or you're vicariously watching youtube videos.