OT: wasp nest - take it down or let it go?
 

Tapping once again into the collective off topic wisdom here on TPL.

This has been going on for weeks now under the roof on my deck.

https://i.postimg.cc/br9q5T3L/IMG-5333.jpg

There isn't a lot of buzzing at the moment, as a matter of fact it almost looks like it's only one or a few of them that are building this.

We don't spend too much time out on this side of the house, so I am wondering whether I should just let it go...?
Feel kind of bad for the guy(s), should have taken it down when it was still really small.

Or will that turn into a buzzing nightmare at some time?
Kinda all black fellas rather than yellow jackets or any of the other usual black/yellow kind.

Right now, if I did take it down, I would just use a long 1x4 board and shear it off from under the soffit, throw the board away and then RUN...
Patio (escape) door is literally 10ft. away.

Hornets.
I’d take it down if it were on my house. Long reach wasp spray in the late evening or early morning while they’re not out and about. Aim it towards the hole of course, but watch out as they might have a back door.


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This is coming from someone that seems to attract bees, but my advice is TAKE IT DOWN!

Those make really crummy volleyballs. Take it down.

This is the only correct answer.

It's never a prob until you accidentally wander 'too close', wherever that is.

I'd evict them pronto.

Hornets, wasps, and yellow-jackets are all territorial and can be very aggressive when they feel threatened. They don't co-exist very well with humans. I'll echo the recommendation that the use of a spray is the best offense/defense.

those are hornets and they gotta go....long reach spray with a very fast retreat to safety route to get back in the house. may take a several treatments since they have barrier layers of the nest....but once its abandoned, have a buddy hold a bag over it while using a scraping tool to pop it loose. considering its on a vent, there's probably a bit more nest up in your eave. Be safe, have an epi-pen around too.

+1. That's a good-sized nest. I'd have at least 2 cans of the long-reach spray on hand, and don't let up. Have a retreat path cleared and ready, but your spray is your best defense.

One of my favorite video genres is "removing hornet/bees/wasp nest gone wrong"

Good luck, and do it from a distance in the evening. If you decide to attempt it with another strategy, please record and upload so I can be entertained.

definitely remove.

in my experience messy long-reach sprays are unnecessary and terror-filled shoot-outs are silly.

wait until darkness falls (when wasps are naturally inactive) and liberally inject some insecticide dust into the nest's entry. after a day or so of coming and going, all movement will subside and you can take the nest down at your leisure. no fuss no muss.

https://www.amazon.com/Insecticide-P.../dp/B005N4PQG6

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....10gyz-dUhL.jpg

Set your house on fire.
Those things are ecologically cool and beautiful up until your dog/spouse/ownbadself gets stung.

Lol. That was my reaction.

Actually, if you set a fire on the ground near the nest, the hornets will leave on their own accord.

If it's not near an entrance to the house or a window, you could let it be: https://www.gardensalive.com/product...st-is-harmless

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Had a hornet nest hive on my wooden fence.. burnt it up with part of the fence too.. :bike: