paper wasp nests

[gundog870]

went out to put up trail cams tonight and found a huge wasp nest. Im not sure what theyre actually called. But I think this would go awesome in our attic. Do you all wait untill the dead of winter to get them? I know that would be the smart thing to do but this is on public ground and i dont want someone to beat me to it. Is it even legal? thanks

 

[SaskGuy]

I take them all the time!!

Not sure if it is legal there, it is here. I have a few in my classroom, have also given some away. I usually grab them in the fall because they will not stay in great shape for long. I don't however get them before a good hard frost and I bag them when I snatch them.......just in case.

 

[strutnrut]

They are called hornets nest.. Just make sure you wait till a good hard frost and then go get it early in the morning.. Take a rag with you and spray it with some hornet killer and plug the hole with it before you cut it down.. I have cut them down thinking they were all dead just to find out after they warm up they start to get active and for some reason they arent in a very good mood and they can put the hurt on you in a hurry.. after you get it you can spray it with hair spray or shellac to preserve it.. Good luck retreving it be carefull

 

[Skully]

And always remember, just because you plug the hole doesn't mean there aren't some angry hornets that could be coming home anytime soon. It's not fun swatting hornets when you're 30 foot off the ground hanging from a branch! I have collected them for years and they are very cool. I wouldn't wait too long or the birds and tree rats will tear them apart. Good luck!

 

[gundog870]

How would I go about getting it now?? I questioning if I shoud be real stupid and put on some real thick clothes and garbage bag it now and then throw it in the freezer when i get home with my buzzing bag of goodies? would spraying it with wasp spray ruin it??

 

[kelcher]

I was told to put a rag soaked in gasoline in a trash bag with the nest and leave it for a week or so. Supposedly that will kill them all. A friend of mine did that, but we grabbed it late in the fall so they were pretty much dead or dormant already anyway.

 

[ripper]

They're called Bald Face Hornets,I've cut alot of them down,but I've waited until a cool morning for them to slow down.Then put them in a bag with spray or something to kill them,because they can get mean real quick.

 

[ironwood]

I have alway collected them after a hard frost and have never seen a live hornet. I have several that have keep very well in their natural state. Take extra limb so you have something to display it on.

 

[gundog870]

What if I went in at night with some wasp spray?

 

[Ghost]

Just wait until the first real frosty morning. It will still be there. Those Bald Faced Hornets can put the hurt'n to you. I know!

They aren't nearly as bad as running over a ground nest full of Yellow Jackets with a brush hog though. That is terrible, you can't run through the woods fast enough.

 

[Limb Chicken]

Those fricking yellow jackets are nasty. I ran over a nest with my tractor with my daughter on my lap and thank god they stung me and not her. It has now become personal. I have also had a run in with the bald faced and I am not sure which one is worse but they are the nastiest of the nasty...

 

[gundog870]

If I go adter a hard frost will all the "sleeping" buggers be inside, or do they nest underground?

 

[sstevens]

look up "bald faced hornets" or "white faced hornets" on google you will get lots of information on them. I beleive if you wait until after a good frost most of them will have died and the rest will be "hibernating" underground until the spring. I would not spray the nest with wasp killer the hives are very fragile and if you soak it with bug spray it will fall apart. Also when the hornets emerge in the spring they build new hives anyway so don't feel bad for taking their "home" away, they won't reuse it in the spring anyway (with no hornets to maintain it the weather destroys the nests fairly quickly). I just cut my first one down this past fall (it is totally legal) after the first couple of frosts and it is hanging in my living room. It did not do anything to it, I just kept as many branches as possible to help hang it from and it still looks good even after having moved. I hope this info helps.