Found while hunting......

B

bswiv

New member
Advice needed here.............

While wandering the swamp after hogs yesterday ( No success even though we saw a few deer. ) stumbled on a BIG hornets nest hanging from a Sweet Gum tree limb. The limb is within easy reach of my pole saw/pruner and thin enough to where it should be easy to clip.

Nest is in perfect shape and about 2 feet long. Even thogh I was hunting a part of the swamp I've not been in before I'm sure I can find it again.

So here is the problem............it's still active!!!

I know that in the frozen north all you guys have to do is wait for it to get cold as heck and then go get it. Hornet will be dead.

But folks this is Florida and these guys are still going strong. And if this winter is like last winter it's possible that we will not have a freeze hard enough to kill them.

So.......ideas?
 
Personally my advice would be to just leave it alone.....but that's just me :) Just have every step planned out in advance in case you need to make a fast retreat.
 
LOL - Leave the thing alone!!!!! A friend of mine who was a forester found one in the middle of winter and cut it down. He gave it to his sister who was a school teacher for her room at school. She placed in her room and all the kids were thrilled over it. The next Monday when they opened up the school her room was full of hornets and they had to cancel school that day until an exterminator could get rid of the things. Lets just say that she inspects any presents from him now. Just because it is not active and the middle of winter doesn't mean the larva can't hatch out when it is warmed. :o
 
So I hear you............but even at 52 years old there is a bit of child in me. I just have to do this thing.

Besides that there is probably a YouTube moment in it too.............
 
You could take some "hot shot" wasp killer and a body net. Place the sprayed nest in a coffee can with an extra shot of poison and put the cap on the can. If you are worried about the poison, you can risk the sting (I'd cover all exposed body parts with heavy clothes and still use a body net. Freeze the coffee can for several days once you are done.
 
Yes as a former "bugman", I have toyed with many a various large nest of stinging things... A couple cans of high quality "like commercial grade from a DIY pest control store". spray it with a good dose and leave them alone for at least 30-60 minutes to calm down. Give it another shot and repeat until no more flyers remain. Now for the fun part... get yer dumbest "goon" buddy to stand under it and catch it when you clip it free so it isn't damaged landing. This may require a large dose of liquid courage or liquid thank you... (goons choice)...
Brent
 
"goon" will be Louann as the nest is out in 12 Mile Swamp RUA and you have to have a permit to get in. My brother in law already said NO WAY so Louann is the only choice.

Should be interesting.................

Will post pictures and a update after the deed is done.
 
Don't know for sure. Sister and grandmother both had them.

But then I plan to let Louann do the getting stung. I figure as I'm faster than her if things go bad the bugs will get whoever is the easiest..............
 
Fisherman, If'n you spent much time in the florida swamps as bswiv and I have.... You can be pretty sure yer not allergic... My most recent such attack, I was squirrel huntin' and was trackin' one thru the scrub oaks. I must of stepped too close to a "ground nest" and stirred up the yeller jackets...
Before I was out of there I was stung under the shirt, on the back of the neck and the worst... "coup de tat" if you will was one right on my top lip dead center!:mad: Need less to say I left that tree rat for another day!
Macho as I may seem I can scream, squeal and run like a girl!:o
Brent
 
BSWIV, Being in a WMA type location, don't show it off on the way out... Many places do not allow removal of such items;)
Brent
 
If you want to keep nest intact,don`t spray it. WAIT TILL DARK. If you can reach it with step ladder ,take two heavy trash bags,put one inside of other. Being as careful as you can,open bags and not touching sides of nest,enclose nest in bags clear up to attaching twig and seal bag around twig. Break twig off above bag. Leave bags seals tightly to sufocate bees. I`ve left them sealed better than a week and still heard buzzing in bag. Usually a couple weeks is good but shake bag before opening and listen for buzzing. FYI if your allergic to stings don`t fool with it. If your not be aware that multiple stings can be fatal. Anyone stung multiple times(whether having trouble breathing or not) should go to ER and be monitored. Things can go very bad (cardiac arrest) at a flip of a switch. If you must, Goodluck!
 
After dark wasps aren't active so when I need to clear a nest from the barn I wait until night time then hit it with a shot of foaming wasp spray. Have removed several wasp nests up to a foot wide that way and inactivated several underground yellow jacket nests through the years; I'd presume hornets would respond to similar tactics.

In recovering a nest just remember that the wasp pupae will continue to hatch out so it should be left outside and re-sprayed for a few days as needed until all are killed.

Of course back in the old days we'd just find wasp nests and come back after dark to knock them down, recover them when the adults flew off then pick out the larvae and pupae to use as fishbait. Bream really love eating immature wasps. :D But the ones nearly ready to hatch can still sting so there's an art to hooking them without touching them.
 
:D

I distinctly remember one particular day of squirrel hunting in my youth. It was a slow day and nothing was moving. Now everyone (except kids) knows that bored kids tend to do stupid things.

Darn! A shotgun, plenty of ammo, and nothing to shoot. Wait a minute; that basket ball sized hornet's nest looks like a fun target! One round of #6 shot at about 20 yards should do it.

Folks, those hornets didn't even stop to wonder where it came from. It was like there was a big neon sign pointing directly at me! :eek:

Now I wasn't normally a very fast runner, nor was I all that great a jumper, but with that little bit of "incentive", I would've done the US Olympic Team proud ;).

I cleared a 3 strand barbed wire fence like it wasn't even there and didn't stop running until I was pretty sure I'd left the country :D. And, I got away with only a couple of stings.

Still, you can't run that fast all burdened down with guns & ammo, so that remained behind.... somewhere.... scattered. Well, I didn't think that old single shot Savage was worth my life, but my dad had other ideas. Hours later, I was able to retrieve it.

To this day, I'm not sure which is worse: Hornet stings, or my dad's belt :eek: :D.

I'm with most of the others here; leave sleeping hornets lie, but if you absolutely must,...

Well, if Sis or Grand Ma has an epi-pen laying around it might be a nice piece of insurance to take with you.
Click to expand...

Good advice there, and I'm not joking about that.
 
Video for us

Play with them all you want. Please have friend video the ACTION for us to enjoy. I take it that you have never been stung by A hornet. I have and believe me its no fun. If you are not lucky you could get stung by more than one. Seriously if the nest is active its best to avoid it.
 
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