I killed a big Baldface hornet’s nest Wednesday evening. It was just inches outside our play yard fence in a forsythia bush and was hidden from view until I trimmed the branches out of the fencing. I deliberated on this killing. I don’t kill just to kill. They’d been there a while and have not been an issue … except once that I know of.
Cochise walked by and lifted a leg on that section of fence, then walked off. Moments later he began spinning around and snapping at something on his back. I believe they took offense to his peeing on their nest. He came out of it okay: no lasting effects.
I have been in there with hedge clippers to trim off the forsythia branches that poke through the fence. Something small and black & white came out and buzzed around me, but did not sting.
I could not see them clearly and took them to be Mason Bees. Which would be good as they are pollinators. It wasn’t until recently when the branch clippings fell down through the bush and offered a peek inside the bush that I could see what is definitely a hornet’s nest. About 14 inches long. With the aid of the zoom on my video camera I was able to positively identify them as Baldface Hornets. Not so good.
The Baldface Case Review
They have not been a major threat but the colony will just get bigger and bigger and I’m not comfortable having a huge population of hornets as neighbors to my dogs. Especially when I looked up Baldface Hornets to see if they are dangerous and found:
Warnings
Baldfaced hornets are extremely aggressive. While their bites are no worse than those of any other wasp or hornet, they attack anyone who disturbs the nest or who comes within 3 feet of it.
I’m guessing I’ve been lucky so far and caught them when they were in a benign mood. Maybe they’d had a big party the night before and were hung-over the morning I was trimming. It also said these are not true hornets but a form of yellow jacket. This is the wasp, not the slang term for Bumble Bee. I have been stung by yellow jackets many times and my reaction to the venom was worse each time. I do NOT enjoy the thought of going through that again.
So the death sentence was signed and handed down. How to carry it out: shot gun? Flame thrower? Or something more boring?
The Execution
I decided to go with a (boring) full can of wasp & hornet killer rather than a flame thrower. The flamer would be more fun, but as dry as it’s been I might end up burning half the county. So I waited until just before dark, when they were all home for the night. They’d be having dinner and congratulating one another on their successful day. I crept up on them and doused the nest, especially the entrance, with foaming wasp killer. Not happy about having their dinner interrupted, they boiled out through the foam. I poked a couple of holes in the nest with a long stick and shot some in those too. Soon lots and lots of buzzing, twitching wasps littered the ground under the nest. It was kind of sad and I felt a little guilty. But just a little. It’s my job to protect my family.
I found no activity in there at all yesterday, so I got them all. Not sure what happens when the eggs inside hatch.
The flame thrower option is still on the table.
