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It's Hornet Time Again - Rant

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  • gdr_11

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    Well, after a nice cool winter and a too short spring, the #$$%#$ hornets have shown up again. So far I can identify yellow jackets, cicada wasps and mud daubers plus one type of red wasp that I don't know what it is. I understand that the only real hornet in these parts is the bald face hornet and, Thank the Good Lord, I have not seen any of these or any of their nests.

    Today, I got bit pretty good while mowing the lawn. I opened the small side gate and drove my mower through, did the front lawn and then, when I went to close the gate, I got bit on my forearm...felt like a red hot poker. Fortunately, the demon insect did not pursue me and was more intent on getting back to the bolt hole on the tube frame of the gate where it was trying to build a nest. I managed to get a lucky shot in with a 2 X 4 and smashed him pretty good. Went inside for some ice on the bite and now I am looking at a dime size welt with a red center bullseye. It was a red wasp which I have never been bit by before but it sure hurt! Will go out tomorrow and tape over that extra bolt hole so they don't come back again.

    The yellow jackets are the ones that usually get me; they build their nests under the eaves of my outbuildings, in the holly shrubs or on the branch of one of my many trees that I have to mow under. Nothing I hate worse than passing one the sheds with my eyes down focused on the blades and getting hit 3-4 times on the back of the neck.

    I know that when God put the Hebrews into the Promised Land, he left some of the Canaanites there to make sure the next generations would learn how to make war, so He must have had some reason to put so many of these flying demons in East Texas. Whatever the reason, the hornets and wasps are right up there with scorpions and spiders in my book and only a little behind the snakes. Nothing I seem to do in terms of spraying, pruning and trapping seems to reduce the population at all, and I just have to be extra careful and eyeball each outside area before I start to do any work.

    If someone could come up with a hornet coronavirus I think we could make a mint.
     

    Moonpie

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    Gunz are icky.
    Well, after a nice cool winter and a too short spring, the #$$%#$ hornets have shown up again. So far I can identify yellow jackets, cicada wasps and mud daubers plus one type of red wasp that I don't know what it is. I understand that the only real hornet in these parts is the bald face hornet and, Thank the Good Lord, I have not seen any of these or any of their nests.

    Today, I got bit pretty good while mowing the lawn. I opened the small side gate and drove my mower through, did the front lawn and then, when I went to close the gate, I got bit on my forearm...felt like a red hot poker. Fortunately, the demon insect did not pursue me and was more intent on getting back to the bolt hole on the tube frame of the gate where it was trying to build a nest. I managed to get a lucky shot in with a 2 X 4 and smashed him pretty good. Went inside for some ice on the bite and now I am looking at a dime size welt with a red center bullseye. It was a red wasp which I have never been bit by before but it sure hurt! Will go out tomorrow and tape over that extra bolt hole so they don't come back again.

    The yellow jackets are the ones that usually get me; they build their nests under the eaves of my outbuildings, in the holly shrubs or on the branch of one of my many trees that I have to mow under. Nothing I hate worse than passing one the sheds with my eyes down focused on the blades and getting hit 3-4 times on the back of the neck.

    I know that when God put the Hebrews into the Promised Land, he left some of the Canaanites there to make sure the next generations would learn how to make war, so He must have had some reason to put so many of these flying demons in East Texas. Whatever the reason, the hornets and wasps are right up there with scorpions and spiders in my book and only a little behind the snakes. Nothing I seem to do in terms of spraying, pruning and trapping seems to reduce the population at all, and I just have to be extra careful and eyeball each outside area before I start to do any work.

    If someone could come up with a hornet coronavirus I think we could make a mint.


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    Only way to be sure.
     

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    oldag

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    In the early spring, I aggressively go after any nest (or start of a nest) that I see. That seems to run them off and I have little problem with them the rest of the year.

    Central Texas has the biggest red wasps and yellowjackets I have ever seen.

    Neighbor once had hornets build a nest under a travel trailer. Bad news.
     

    BRD@66

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    Liberty Hill
    I let 'em alone until the nest is about 1.5" in diam. with about 4-5 wasps (paper wasp, AKA yellow jacket) on the nest. Then I roll a single newspaper page into a funnel big enough to encompass the nest. Burning funnel over the nest (at night) -> wingless, dying wasps into the funnel leaving the larva-laden nest for me to give to the chickens. Of course, I get stung occasionally.
     

    pronstar

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    Dallas
    I let 'em alone until the nest is about 1.5" in diam. with about 4-5 wasps (paper wasp, AKA yellow jacket) on the nest. Then I roll a single newspaper page into a funnel big enough to encompass the nest. Burning funnel over the nest (at night) -> wingless, dying wasps into the funnel leaving the larva-laden nest for me to give to the chickens. Of course, I get stung occasionally.

    That last sentence


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    F350-6

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    I've got a couple of those salt rifles. They'll work fine at a range of less than 6" on a single wasp. Otherwise, the only course of action is to pay attention, buy lots of cans of wasp spray, and spray any nest as you discover it.

    If you don't like the wasp spray, a good hand sprayer or super soaker type water gun with a mixture of dishwashing soap and water works too. The soap breaks down the protective layer on their skin and the water will drown them by soaking into them.

    I've held paper wasps under water with a pool net for 5 minutes and they won't drown, but a couple of squirts from a hand sprayer with soapy water and it's all over for them.

    I originally bought the salt rifles for around the pool with the grand kids, but we switched to the soapy water for better range and a faster kill.
     

    Coiled

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    SETX
    Mud daubers are no big deal, they get inside and can't figure out how to exit. I catch them with cupped hands and put them out, been stung once and it was mild-moderate pain that lasted @30 seconds w/o any kind of treatment.

    Red wasps are the Devil in disguise, I HATE those aggressive bastards !!!!
     
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