Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Removing a hornets nest for decoration

Hello all.

A neighbor has a nice bald faced hornets nest she wants to remove. It’s only about chest high with an easy to reach entrance hole (we scouted it this evening).

I’d like to remove it well intact to put it on the wall. My plan to is spray if after dark but I do t want it to deteriorate due to the foam spray.

I have one we lightly sprayed (it was later on the year) that did fine but I’m not sure if this one will take more spraying since it’s active.

Any suggestions for a spray (or dust) that won’t deteriorate the nest?

I’ve seen the bee suit and bag trick with no sprays, bit I don’t have a bee suit…

Thanks for your help,

PigGuy

Wow

Slip a bag black trash bag over it and just tie it up, let em suffocate for a couple days. No chems

^^^^^^

Thanks for the replies - it’s in a shrub with multiple branches through it so I’m a bit concerned about the timing aspect - it’s not going to be a simple bag and twist because of the bush.
I suppose we could try multiple times with a bit of trimming each time but the homeowner may get tired of the visits…

Sounds like you’re back to spraying or professional removal.

That’s what I’m thinking although I like the idea of bag and twist .

We have a good local DIY place nearby. I may go speak to them about less destructive sprays and or dusts

A strong dose of permethrin will kill them but my spray bottle won’t squirt as far as Raid wasp killer.

Great Idea.

Just don't get stung.
I don't know if you can smoke em like the honey bees, but I've seen it done on TV.
"Watch MOM! JUST like on TV!". 😲

The times I've pulled them down was after spray, if they were big keepers.
Bad thing to keep indoors though. That odor never fully goes away with the brands I've used. If you touch it, it gets on your hands.

Some professional grade aerosol Pyrethrum is what you need. It’s not a foam. It’s a fogging aerosol.
Whitmire products, 2oz or 4oz Total Release push-button fogger.
Strong percent pyretheum. Instant knockdown.

AT NIGHT, drape a lightweight tarp big enough to cover the whole bush and set a couple of these foggers off under it.

Leave it draped through the next day, still let the sun overheat them.


Hop on Amazon get some Whitmire pyretrhuM total release foggers on the way via Prime

And if youre one of these amazon 78 year old boycott dipshîts, then goodluck with the dollar store Black Flag crap

If the nest is that big, I wouldn't want to be anywhere near it when someone tries to slip a bag over it. Good luck with this endeavor.

Kind of reminds me of the story of the mice deciding to put a bell around the neck of a cat.

Seriously though,
I've removed a lot of different wasp hives of various varieties, put them in clear lexon display containers for live educational displays, but don't recommend it as it is a high risk endeavor.
"Kids, don't try this at home.". 😉

HC

Thanks for the tip on the fogger Slumlord, that seems like a good plan. We have tarps / plastic and can check the local spot for the fogger tomorrow

HC - the last one we collected was late in the fall. After staying in babes for a couple of days only a couple of hornets were in the bag. The first morning after hanging in the house one was slowly crawling across the floor! Nest went back out for a couple of more days…

I’ve sprayed a lot of em being in the bug business. But we used to use our mazda pickup that had a camper topper over our 100gallon termite rig. Run the hose via sliding window into the cab with me, crack the window and drive up within 25ft of the nest and let em have it.

About 50/50 the nest would soak and tear into pieces.

But I was also hitting with a pretty good stream of 60 psi

I have no experience with this,but something tells me I’d wait till it got cold.Good luck…

In case this tidbit doesnt get mentioned

Try not to use a flashlight. They will go after that light at night. LOL


take some time, let your eyes get adjusted. Don’t have Karen the homeowner on the porch with the porch light on 40 ft away going “OMG OMG”

SL, That sounds like a slick rig to take them down, the keeping of the next part makes it harder to manage.

Bull, if it was mine waiting would be my course of action, but she wants it gone since it’s close to the front door

Waiting for Slumlord to tell someone to "hold my beer".

Y'all are braver than me. This has Darwin award written all over it.

Bag it up at night when all are snug in their beds.

Gentlemen,

I'm uniquely qualified to comment on this topic. I usually color well within the lines here on the campfire, but about this subject, well I don't believe there's another fella on the forum that has had his hands on as many of these as I have.
I had 15 live nests in my hands today. 636 of them last summer.

To the OP, If you want to preserve the paper nest your best bet is to remove all of the adults first. A Shop-Vac with extension tubes works well for this. They react to vibration and so simply bump the bush with a stick and they'll come storming out.

Bald Faced Hornets, If that's what these are, are a far-ranging species. Vacuuming to get all the adults may take a half an hour or more. You're welcome to send me a picture and I can positively identify the species for you.

The queen will not leave the nest. And keep in mind that the nest is currently full of larvae and pupae which are hatching out constantly. So once you finish vacuuming and you think you can cut the nest out you will need to then drop it into a chest freezer. Leave it in the freezer for several days, then take it outside and let it air out for a week or more in the heat. It will stink a bit during this process.

Wear all the protective gear you can during this removal. If you have a beekeeper friend borrow a veil and gloves.
Bald-faced hornets can sting multiple times and bite hard enough to draw blood. They can also squirt venom and so while you're working the nest keep your eyes slightly averted downwards.

Sprays, etc will degrade the paper nest capsule. Plastic bags will do the same.

Anyway contact me if you have any questions and I can walk you through it

First time I got stung, I would just break out the wrist rocket and roman candles

Bastids