Hornet Page Suggestions

http://unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
the hornets wioht the queen are all females...males only emerge fro a brief time in the late summer to mate next year's queen. Bees in a hive are female...ants in a nest are female etc.

http://unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
Your "rateme.html" page seems to be missing for the link at the very bottom of the page. However, what I really want to say is that this web page is one of the best I've seen on any topic in a long time. It is on topic, thorough, and provides very interesting details. Thanks for making the internet better! Ben

My Comment: Thanks for the compliment, Ben. I took the "rateme" page down a week or so ago, I was getting some guy spamming me through it. Sends the same stuff, every time! SPAM. The plague of the Internet!

I have since put it back up, with some SPAM measures.

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
Bee suits are indeed for pansies, I exterminated a large Bald Faced Hornet nest today, I can't remember the last time I used a cloggy, bulb duster, I hit the nest opening with my power sprayer armed with Demon Max and a little Termidor, I quickly eliminated the bees and knocked down the nest. I was home eating dinner with my family as sun fell, why let the time of day dictate what you do? jeff - columbus,oh

My Comment: Hmmmmm. First of all, I assume you are an exterminator, and if you are, you are not allowed to use Termidor for that purpose. It is against label directions, which carries a big fine. And if you WOULD be allowed to use Termidor, you certainly wouldn't need the Demon Max. And I don't know about yours, but MY bulb duster is always in top shape. Finally, I like to do the the job the RIGHT way....

Jeff also posted a suggestion on the carpenter bee suggestion page.

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
hey, nice site. good photos. i always do nests like these during the daytime. i use the dust-r, a large duster with 1/2" pvc atachment, about 8 feet. by the way, i think they are all females. males stay in the nest for hankie-pankie. females do all the foraging and nest building. have fun. keep on making a killing. mike the bugman (email address omitted).

My Comment: Thanks for the compliment, Mike.. And sometimes we do this in the daytime, too. This nest was right near the lady's play yard for her kids, so we didn't want to chance any stray hornets around, we wanted to get them all, right away. We did, and she never had a problem with any strays.

BTW, as far as a bee duster is concerned, ever look at the B-Duster? A friend of mine, another exterminator, invented and manufactures them. Great product!

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
why are you throwing away those nests people like me collect them send me your free throw aways. please also have a question I heard that only the queen survives winter and that all workers can not survive the freezing cold it this true? Sue Grice in Michigan

My Comment: Sue, when I get finished with the nests, they are poisoned with insecticides and no good for any handling. And, yes, all the worker bees die at the end of the year, only the overwintering queens survive to start a new nest the next year. They spend the winter in a protected area somewhere.

My Comment: OOPS! I guess I didn't make that clear, did I.... These "hornets" are actually a large yellow jacket, and yellow jackets are "annuals." That is, that nest only lives one year, they abandon them at the first frost or soon afterwards. Next year, they will all build new nests.

I will make that notation on the page, thanks, Charles.

http://unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
Hi As you mentioned in your site wasps are benificial. Have you ever thought of just relocating nests rather than destroying them. My father use to tell me how on the farm they would go out on a cool night and cut the branch and relocate the nest inside the barn to control flies.

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
Your site is very informative and gives me a lot more confidence. However it would be good if you could explain if there is any other hornet or wasp or yellow jacket that has a nest (hive) that is similar or identicle. We have a nest that is very similar in appearance and I presume should be handled as you direct (it is attached to a roof over a deck in coastal northern California). Can I be sure that it is the nest of the hornet you describe? Thanks very much. Ken Holmes (email address omitted)

My Comment: I am not aware of any other wasp (in the US) that builds an exposed nest. Sometimes, depending on the material they use for the nest, and where they build it, can make them look different. If the nest is up out of the way, leave it. They are a beneficial insect.

You can see one here, built on the corner of a roof. Scroll down until you see the nest.

http://unexco.com/Decks.html

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
On your bee page, discussing those hornets making that basket ball like nest. I just rid one in a hedge after my car was swarmed. They were black and white. However on the side of my garage... there is the EXACT same nest, that large basketball like thing, only it has these TINY little black and yellow bees instead of the large black and white ones. What type bee is this?

My Comment: Those are yellowjackets. Actually, they're BOTH yellowjackets... The BFHornets are actually a type of yellowjacket. The "yellowjackets" usually construct a nest in a void, where the BFHs generally constuct a nest such as the one you describe.

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
Hello. I just wanted to let you know that I inadvertantly copied the info on your web site. I just clicked on copy and then AFTER that I noticed the "COPYSCAPE" logo and info inthe upper right hand corner. Please except my apology and sincerity in saying that I truly would NOT have copied it if I had noticed the info first! i am surprised that it even let me copy it. Usually if it is something that is not allowable to copy there is some way that it gets blocked. Anyhow, thougth you would like to know that I wa able to copy it before realizing that I was not supposed to! Sincerely, Cindy Kirby

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
on these sites i have visited tonight it doesn't tell how sick a bite can make someone i just left the emergecy room with my son and grandson screaming out in pain their stomachs hurting so bad they were doubled over and vomiting up their insides headaches and they were freezing and hot and shaking it was a horrible site they were bitten by several white faced hornets it made them very sick people should be warned about these insects joan rhinehart (email address omitted)

My Comment: Sorry to hear of your grandson's problems with stings. Many people have reactions to stings like this. Science really isn't sure as to why this comes about. There are suspicions that stings can upset people to the point where they react much more to a sting that is normally observed, especially children, as they become terrified and this can affect how their body reacts. Most people have mild physical reactions to stings. I myself was stung by two bald faced hornets on Saturday, while eliminating a nest. They itch terribly, but that is the only reaction I have ever gotten.

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
For getting rid of hornets, wasps and bees I put dish soap in a hose-end sprayer, turn the water on and spray the nest outside and in with very soapy water. Works every time. I've never been stung or even had a close call. Hope this helps.

My Comment: Soapy water kills most insects on contact - or soon afterwards. It can be used on wasps and bees, maybe even hornets. The only problem is that it has no residual - as soon as it's dry, it will no longer have an effect.

The only problem in using it for hornets is that they have a protective hive and even if you get the soapy water inside, and can destroy the nest immediately, you will continue to have new hornets emerging from the comb all the time. They are adults, so they can sting.

The BEST way for most people to handle a hornet nest is at night, with a product (insecticide) that floods the nest in a second or two. Inject it directly into the nest entrance.

The next morning you can clip the nest out of the brush or scrape it off the surface. Before you do that, in the morning, inject and flood the entrance, to take care of any individuals that spent the night out and have returned. Also those that have emerged from their protective cells. BE CAREFUL!

http://unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
no suggestion, BUT this was the most fascinating article of mother nature at her BEST. Thanks soooo much for posting it. Truly an educational and wonderful site to behold. AND, I am just an old 64 year old grandma!! Certainly will go over it with my 11 year old grand daughter. MARVELOUS. jspaulding

http://www.unexco.com/gallery/hornets.html
i was wondering if there's any way to kill queens, that is where do they winter? my yard this year hosted 5 huge nests all near the house. why are we so infested and what can we do about it? (other than I imagine watching out for them while they develop)?

My Comment: Oh, they hide everywhere! You could never find them all! Besides, the ones that made those nests probably overwintered far from where the nest was built. And remember - they are beneficial. Just stay out of their way.