Subject: Re: Help-Hornets!

From: [email-masked] (Lawrence F. London, Jr.)
Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1999 19:41:21 GMT

On Tue, 7 Sep 1999 14:30:41 EDT, [email-masked] wrote:

>I don't usually comment on advice given by others, but this is CRAZY.  You 
>can get killed if you try this.   A nest of these suckers is enough to kill 
>the entire family with pleanty left over for the neighbors.

Right. I really wouldn't _recommend_ anyone risking contact with 
white-faced hornets. I was once asked to remove one of their nests 
(a large -soccer ball sized grey papery globe) from a tree - it was
suspended from a small low hanging branch - in a friend's yard. 
I chunked brickbats at it from a safe distance, tore parts of it off
but failed to dislodge it or drive off the hornets. After four bricks
worth of frenzied hurling several scouts laying for me zoomed in on me
as I fled and I got stung 5 or 6 times on the head and neck. The
stings were not bad at all, much milder than wasps, bumble bees or
yellow jackets. I would _never_ attempt unprotected (from within
armored personnel carrier) eradication of yellow jackets. I have heard
stings from these commonly cause anaphylactic shock (as also from
beestings). Wasps and bumblebee stings hurt like hell for a long time
and may also cause shock.

I have not researched this but from my observation white-faced hornets
build large hanging nests. This should make finding them easier.
Moving them without a beesuit on would be a daredevil feat to be sure.
If they eat yellowjackets they would be most valuable on the
homestead. They do not seem to be as aggressive as other stinging
winged insects.

The ground-nesting stingers are bumblebees and yellowjackets,
the latter should be considered dangerous to all.

Thanks for the correction and heads-up, Dan.

>In a message dated 9/7/99 5:21:05 PM, [email-masked] writes:

>If possible, find their nests (large roundish grey papery globes
>hanging from tree limbs (or elsewhere?). Follow them to see where they
>have made these nests. Move the nests far enough away from your fruit
>so they won't return to it.
>
>I realize this may be difficult or impossible but it would be worth a try.

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