{"id":11494,"date":"2016-07-01T11:59:25","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T15:59:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbittinger.com\/thoughts\/?p=11494"},"modified":"2025-04-21T01:56:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:56:38","slug":"baldface-encounter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pineymountainfoster.org\/thoughts\/baldface-encounter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Baldface Encounter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"home<\/a>I killed a big Baldface hornet’s nest Wednesday evening.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I deliberated on this killing.\u00a0 I don’t kill just to kill.\u00a0 They\u2019d been there a while and have not been an issue … except once that I know of.<\/p>\n

\"Baldface<\/a>Cochise walked by and lifted a leg on that section of fence, then walked off.\u00a0 Moments later he began spinning around and snapping at something on his back. I believe they took offense to his peeing on their nest.\u00a0 He came out of it okay: no lasting effects.<\/p>\n

I have been in there with hedge clippers to trim off the forsythia branches that poke through the fence.\u00a0 Something small and black & white came out and buzzed around me, but did not sting.<\/p>\n

\"Bee_Mason\"<\/a>I could not see them clearly and took them to be Mason Bees.\u00a0 Which would be good as they are pollinators.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 About 14 inches long.\u00a0 With the aid of the zoom on my video camera I was able to positively identify them as Baldface Hornets.\u00a0 Not so good.
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