Posted: 8/5/2001 7:39:52 AM EDT
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Beekeeper, I saw the thread on bees a couple of weeks ago- now I have my own critter control problem- I have these giant frigging things hanging around my yard - they're about 1.5" long, have reddish wings and yellow/black thorax. They're so goddamn big when they hover more than 5 feet off the ground I get phone calls from ATC at the Indianapolis airport telling me I can't fly an ultralight this close to a runway! I can't find any nests. I assume something this huge would have to have a correspondingly gigantic home. They seem to like two areas in the middle of my front and back yard, but I can't see what they are after. I'd be willing to live and let live but the fu**ers chased me while I was cutting the grass yesterday. As Bugs Bunny used to say, "I hope you realith thith means war."[frag] What do I have here, and what should I do about it? Thanks! QS |
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I am not a beekeeper, but let me point out the things may have a nest IN THE GROUND. There is a type of hornet down here that does that. They will have a large hole hollowed out underground with thousands of "residents" Disturb the area around this, and attack squadrons will scramble to greet you with painful gifts. If you can locate the hole, get at least two cans of "instant knockdown" spray and some gasoline. Wait until early evening and empty one ENTIRE CAN into the hole WITHOUT STOPPING. Pour a considerable amount of the gas as a chaser. DO NOT IGNITE the gas! AFTER WAITING for a while, dig up the nest, keeping the second can very near. Make sure to mash all the eggs present. USE CAUTION! |
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[img]http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/misc/ef004ci2.gif[/img] If this is what they look like, then you have cicada killer wasps. These suckers sound like a small plane when they fly by, get up to around 2 inches in length, rarely sting, and usually avoid humans. (Unlike those nasty white faced suckers) There will not be any large nest because they are solitary wasps. They make a burrow in the ground, catch cicadas, and the female lays eggs in them so that the larvae will be able to over winter in the burrow. Solitary wasp nests/burrows [img]http://entomology.unl.edu/images/cicadakiller/cicadakiller_nests.jpg[/img] |
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We had these bees in my front yard when I was growing up. My dad tried several things to get rid of them, and this is really a hilarious story. First, my dad and the neighbor next door attack them with wasp killer. They managed to knock a few out of the air only to watch them get right back up, only a little more pissed off! After my mom convinced my dad that he needed to defend his family, he watched them to realized they did indeed burrow into the ground. So he waited till late at night, poured gasoline down into the nest and lit it on fire! Well after, we got the brush fire put out, the little bastards still came out of the nest. He tried to fill the holes with dirt, they dug out the next night. The day the neighbors on the other side were moving in, my dad found the solution! Wait outside the hole with a lighter and a can of Right Gaurd and the flame the suckers into dust. You should have seen the look on our neighbors faces! It was priceless. The move in, only to see a 35 year old guy running around with an impromptu flame thrower torching various spots on his lawn. The next day, they asked him to kill their bees. It took us 3 years to erradicate them all, our neihbors have them, but we don't!!! In flight, I might reccomend 40mm bofors AA gun to try to knock them down. Good luck.[pyro] |
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The other day I was getting ready to mow the lawn, when I happened to notice a large nest of hornets up in the corner of our house below the roof. I thought what the hell and turned the hose on them. Well that was a big mistake! The little fuckers swarmed me and chased me around the house.I have the worst luck when it comes to that type of stuff. A couple years ago I was string trimming and run in to a nest of yellow jackets That also chased me around the house, little bastard stung me eight or nine times. I got the last laugh on them all though. The ones on the house I stuck a blow torch on the end of a broom with some duct tape an burned them out, of course I almost burned down the house it's a good thing we have aluminum siding, the others got gassed as well. |
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JasonDemond wrote: "The ones on the house I stuck a blow torch on the end of a broom with some duct tape an burned them out, of course I almost burned down the house" [pyro] BWAAAA HAAAAA HAAAAAA.......... You cant be serious! Uh...... You aren't serious are you??? WTF were you thinking???? ..........unbelievable................ [rolleyes][whacko][rolleyes][whacko] |
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Quoted: Late at night, pour gas in hole, make a small trail (of gas) back to a lounge chair, open can of ice cold beer, light match, ignite gas trail, take a drink of said beer. [smash] I agree, and the ones you don't kill will die anyways cause their wings will be too damaged to fly. Gas might ruin the ground, but I'll tell you what won't. that hand sanitizer that you just squirt in your palms and rub dry. it's alcohol based. |
| I got hit with bumble bees mowing the lawn. I figured I would save time trimming if I just moved the kids sand box out of the way with the tractor bucket. I didn't know there was a mole trail leading to and under the sandbox from the opposite side. The bees used the mole trail to get under the sandbox and make a nest. I pushed the sand box just about a foot and the guard bees came at me with a vengeance,they got me two times on the earlobe before I jumped from the tractor and cleared the four foot fence screaming and hollering for the wife to open the door. I waited untill night, poured gas down the hole and then I threw a safety fusee at the hole. I am still gun shy when it comes to bees. |
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Quoted: The other day I was getting ready to mow the lawn, when I happened to notice a large nest of hornets up in the corner of our house below the roof. I thought what the hell and turned the hose on them. Well that was a big mistake! The little fuckers swarmed me and chased me around the house.I have the worst luck when it comes to that type of stuff. No "flame" intended, but That ain't bad luck!!!Most people learn early in life that a garden hose is not the correct weapon to use on a bees nest - ESPECIALLY BALD FACED HORNETS!!!!!!!! You might as well have just gone up there poking your finger up into the nest.... |
| Okay, I'm here but too late. [:(] Damn, my one big chance to maybe be helpful and I'm busy working my real job. I couldn't help with the plumbing ? cuz all I know is doodie runs down hill. The pic looks like a cicada killer wasp. If so, they are not aggressive to you. They are hell on the noisy bastard cicadas though. Watch out for the baldfaced hornets and yellow jackets. They are rough/mean. I have to go in an hour to kill a nest of hornets. Usually it's no big deal but these bastards are back in a bush which provides lots of protection from me. I am terrified and have butterflies in my stomach as I type this. Exterminators and animal control people won't mess with them. I'm the only one the locals have, so I get lots of calls. Risking my life for $40.00--I must be nuts. QuietShootr, I honestly don't know if they will/can sting you when you mow over their burrow. I doubt it but don't want to give you bad advice. I would suggest you go to the library (or the net) and look it up. "Cicada killer" is their correct name to look for. Those of you with B-faced Hornets and yellow jackets, here's a secret--always attack in the dark, and squirt some shave cream in the hole at the bottom. If hornets, and the nest is at the end of a branch(typical) you can cut the end of the branch and then slip a garbage bag over it and cut the branch, letting it fall into the bag. Close it good, then put in the freezer for [b]several[/b] days. Freezing kills them. This is best done with a beekeeper's protective gear, just in case. Yellow jackets have to be directly attacked. Their nest is similar but always on/in the ground, not a tree branch. Use a suit, LOTS of instant-kill spray (make DAMN sure it's instant kill!!) tear it open, and spray like hell until they're all dead. Few things are more exciting than this kind of a fight to the death. Oh, both need to be done in the dark as that is the only time they are all in there. Also, keep the ambient light as low as possible as they can't see in the dark. Pucker factor--high. |