Hornets' nest

[PennLady]

And I mean that literally. A neighbor pointed out to me yesterday that we have a hornets' nest the size of a big watermelon on one of our trees out front. Thankfully it's out near the street and not the house. Mr Penn sprayed it with some Raid yesterday but will need more.

I am concerned on various fronts. But what I was wondering is if anyone knows what it might cost to have one of these removed? I'm in southeast PA (I realize prices will be different in different areas). I'm going to call around but I have never done this before and so have no idea what an average or decent price might be.

 

[TxRad]

If it is high enough up in the tree not to be bumped or bothered accidentally, (I can't really tell from the picture) why remove it? Hornets eat spiders and insects for the most part. They are part of nature.

 

[LaRascasse]

Careful there. Stirring up a hornet's nest can end badly.

 

[PennLady]

If it is high enough up in the tree not to be bumped or bothered accidentally, (I can't really tell from the picture) why remove it? Hornets eat spiders and insects for the most part. They are part of nature.

This thing is really big. It also hangs out over the sidewalk and a number of people in this neighborhood take walks and go right under it. I worry that something will provoke the hornets -- not a person, or at least not intentionally -- and bad things will happen. I got one price quote of $125-$165, which is kind of what I hoped.

It is probably 8' or so off the ground.

Mr Penn thinks he can take care of it by himself with enough time and patience. We shall see.

 

[Bramblethorn]

From the title I just assumed this was going to be another Loving Wives thread.

 

[PennLady]

From the title I just assumed this was going to be another Loving Wives thread.

Hahaha. No, those are waters into which I dare not tread. Or swim. Or even dog paddle.

 

[glynndah]

Be sure you're spraying that nest late at night when all the hornets are in the nest.

 

[PennLady]

Be sure you're spraying that nest late at night when all the hornets are in the nest.

Yep, we have that part.

 

[Saxon Stonedyke]

............

 

[PennLady]

In cities and towns down here you can call the fire department to remove them if they are a danger to the public. I'm not sure what your temps are like up there but if it gets down in the 40s at night, they go dormant at cold temps so you could probably use a long handled tree pruner to cut it off at night and let it fall into a metal garbage can with some gasoline. Close the top tightly and the fumes will kill them all.

One of the most stupid redneck stunts I have seen in my life is when I was a teen out rabbit hunting with several uncles and one of them (the cop no less) said "heh watch this" and shot one with a 12ga. shotgun. We all picked up a few stings and I was thankful for my time spent on the track team.

It's not getting that cold at night here yet. Maybe down into the 60s from mid-80s during the day. I hadn't thought about the fire department, but I'll run that by Mr Penn and we could see what they say. So far I have the one quote, and someone scheduled to inspect and estimate on Monday. And I like your suggestions but we have neither gasoline nor a metal trash can (we are so very suburban ).

Whether it poses a danger I'm not sure. It's over the sidewalk and street, so I suppose you could argue that it does pose a potential danger to anyone who walks or runs or bikes or whatever under it. This is what concerns me. I'd feel terrible if anyone had a problem (and god forbid, sued us).

I hate bugs.

And my first thought, when I saw this was: Tracker jackers! (Hunger Games reference)

 

[TxRad]

It's not getting that cold at night here yet. Maybe down into the 60s from mid-80s during the day. I hadn't thought about the fire department, but I'll run that by Mr Penn and we could see what they say. So far I have the one quote, and someone scheduled to inspect and estimate on Monday. And I like your suggestions but we have neither gasoline nor a metal trash can (we are so very suburban ).

Whether it poses a danger I'm not sure. It's over the sidewalk and street, so I suppose you could argue that it does pose a potential danger to anyone who walks or runs or bikes or whatever under it. This is what concerns me. I'd feel terrible if anyone had a problem (and god forbid, sued us).

I hate bugs.

And my first thought, when I saw this was: Tracker jackers! (Hunger Games reference)

Uh, here's a thought, Is the tree between the sidewalk and the street? Also, does the city own the sidewalks and streets? If they do, then the nest is on their property and they might take it down at no charge to you.

 

[R. Richard]

Uh, here's a thought, Is the tree between the sidewalk and the street? Also, does the city own the sidewalks and streets? If they do, then the nest is on their property and they might take it down at no charge to you.

Unfortunately, in most of the towns where I have lived, even if the city owns the sidewalk and/or parkway, the maintenance and upkeep is the homeowner's responsibility. ("There's no reason for it, it's just city policy.)

 

[PennLady]

Uh, here's a thought, Is the tree between the sidewalk and the street? Also, does the city own the sidewalks and streets? If they do, then the nest is on their property and they might take it down at no charge to you.

No, the tree is on our property. It sits near the foot of the driveway, so it is close to the sidewalk and the branches go over the sidewalk and slightly over the street. The town probably does own the sidewalk, but I don't know.

Unfortunately, in most of the towns where I have lived, even if the city owns the sidewalk and/or parkway, the maintenance and upkeep is the homeowner's responsibility. ("There's no reason for it, it's just city policy.)

Yes. It's our responsibility to shovel snow, etc. Most places I know of are like that. You don't own the sidewalk but you are responsible for keeping it clear. I'm not sure if we own the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the curb but we have to mow it, etc.

 

[JustaSCOUNDREL]

PennLady several years ago I was working in Florida and found a wasp/hornet nest. My co worker was allergic to insect stings so I was elected to do the deed.

I bought some Hornet/Wasp spray at the store. As I remember I stood back maybe 10-12 feet and let it go. A relatively thick stream nailed the nest but maybe a dozen critters came boiling out and I was sure I was going to get stung. but they all died and fell out of the air after flying only a very few feet.

I was impressed. I kind of thought of it as a kind of a nerve gas even though it was a liquid. I would not hesitate to use a similar product if I ran into the same problem again.

It is a lot cheaper then the nearly $200 to have it removed.

Mike

 

[Stella_Omega]

I live in fear of hornet stings, and i too would want it gone but-- what a beautiful thing.

 

[PennLady]

I live in fear of hornet stings, and i too would want it gone but-- what a beautiful thing.

Isn't it amazing? Mr Penn is blown away by the architecture of it and I have to admit it'd be fascinating if it wasn't full of hornets. I think we have opted to try to remove it ourselves, at least for now, but we're not nuts. If another spray or two doesn't do it, we will call someone.

 

[estragon]

SA Penn Lady, does your town or village have an animal control department? I have heard that municipalities have them, and they deal with swarms of bees, runaway dogs, etc.

 

[glynndah]

If you do decide to go the "trash can and gasoline" route, could you please have a camera handy? I have a feeling the video might be pretty entertaining.

 

[nicecthulhu]

Good luck!
If they're those little yellow and black buggers that we get up here then they're as keen on going after you (and your food) as they are going after anything else. And their bites (or stings) hurt, as you probably already know. And they can bite or sting multiple times.
With the mild winter we had in southern Ontario I expected to see a lot more of them around here, but I've actually seen very few this summer. Maybe they went south into the States?
Careful with any insecticide! These things are poisons. It's one thing to empty a can on a nest of wasps (hornets?) under your shed or garage, and another to be spraying at a colony hanging up in a tree. And it's not the acute effects you really have to be concerned about, it's the chronic things that might pop up years down the road once the chemicals have had time to do their thing inside of you.

 

[PennLady]

SA Penn Lady, does your town or village have an animal control department? I have heard that municipalities have them, and they deal with swarms of bees, runaway dogs, etc.

Thank you, I never thought to ask. I will have to look, I don't know if we have a department for that.

If you do decide to go the "trash can and gasoline" route, could you please have a camera handy? I have a feeling the video might be pretty entertaining.

LOL I will, but I think we're going the spray-and-wait-until-they-die route and if that doesn't work, the call-the-exterminator route.

If they're those little yellow and black buggers that we get up here then they're as keen on going after you (and your food) as they are going after anything else. And their bites (or stings) hurt, as you probably already know. And they can bite or sting multiple times.

They don't seem to be keen on bothering anyone. We didn't notice them for who knows how long, as I said, until someone passing by on a walk pointed them out. Even after the initial spray, they haven't altered behavior in terms of being aggressive or anything.

Careful with any insecticide! These things are poisons. It's one thing to empty a can on a nest of wasps (hornets?) under your shed or garage, and another to be spraying at a colony hanging up in a tree. And it's not the acute effects you really have to be concerned about, it's the chronic things that might pop up years down the road once the chemicals have had time to do their thing inside of you.

Well, we'll do what we can. And although it's not perfect, you do stand many feet away and the poison goes in a tight stream away from you.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I bought some Hornet/Wasp spray at the store. As I remember I stood back maybe 10-12 feet and let it go. A relatively thick stream nailed the nest but maybe a dozen critters came boiling out and I was sure I was going to get stung. but they all died and fell out of the air after flying only a very few feet.

I was impressed. I kind of thought of it as a kind of a nerve gas even though it was a liquid.

Not far off.

Many so-called "nerve gases" are actually liquids at room temperature, although they can spread through the air via evaporation or as aerosols, and organophosphate insecticides are VERY closely related to military nerve agents. The first nerve agent invented (sarin, the one used in the 1995 Japanese attacks) was originally intended as an insecticide. But given that a few drops on the skin will kill an adult in less than an hour, it wasn't very practical for that purpose.

Modern OP insecticides are not as toxic to humans, but they still need to be treated with respect. Too much exposure can make you very very sick.

 

[ishtat]

Is it a Bald Faced Hornet or the introduced European Hornet. Any idea how many there are in the nest?

 

[TxRad]

A note of interest.

Those nests are valuable. Believe it or not some people decorate their homes with at least one and I've seen them priced as high as 200 dollars.

 

[PennLady]

Is it a Bald Faced Hornet or the introduced European Hornet. Any idea how many there are in the nest?

No idea, can't say I care, and no, no idea how many. My husband checked earlier today and there was still some activity. I'm going to look and see if our town or township has something that will handle this, plus we have someone coming out to look and give an estimate tomorrow.

 

[annanova]

Is it a Bald Faced Hornet or the introduced European Hornet. Any idea how many there are in the nest?

I'm sorry, I saw this and flashed to the debate about the airspeed velocity of a European swallow vs. an African swallow and whether or not they'd be able to carry a coconut.

Good lord, PL, that nest is HUGE! If you could be sure it was finally emptied of hornets, I'm thinking half a dozen science teachers would love to have it on display. They really are marvelously built.