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Prater

Hornets

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Prater

I came back to the garden after a 9 day trip and there are hornets digging in the garden...I have sprayed hornet killer in about 20 burrows. Is there any preventative measure I can take to keep them out?

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SALTYWRIGHT

I GOT STUNG BY 4 HORNETS ON THURSDAY. HAD TO GO TO DOCTOR ON SATURDAY TO GET SHOTS I WAS TRIMING THE BUSHES. I DID NOT KNOW THE NEST WAS THERE.

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Prater

These are not the hornets I am used too. I had to take out a mound in my backyard a few years ago but they were small, maybe they were yellowjackets. These new ones in the garden are about the size of my pinky finger, they are huge and sound like a hummingbird in flight.

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GlenPettit

Steven:

I suspect you may have ground bees, they are bad, when one stings, that immediately starts attracting dozens more, run, run, run.Remember where the hole(s)* are, after dark, put in some Sevin powder, I use cotton swabs filled with Sevin, stuffed in lightly, so the bees have to craw through it, kills them all in minutes, plus they drag some back into the nest. In a few days, new ones hatch, so you need to do it again. Sevin has a shelf life, so use fresh powder.

* they usually have 3-4 holes, one primary and several backup holes.

Remember that bee & hornet spray is very different than Wasp spray, be sure to use the correct one, they are not interchangeable, if you're wrong, the spray just makes them mad. They all, do not normally fly after it's dark, but they love the heat. Google to match pictures to be sure, the bees are short & stubby & mean.

Good Luck,

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Sparky

Should he be at all concerned with these chemicals being used on his garden? I'm no expert on chemicals and such but if I'm going to eat what grows in my garden I would need to know that.

Mike.........

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Prater

Here is one of the critters I killed last night. There are still two flying around the garden today.

IMG_2652.jpg

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Prater

Looking online I think I have Cicada Killers. I tried to take a pic with a quarter for reference but the camera would not focus right. It is larger than a quarter and nearly two inches long when straightened out on a measuring tape.

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COMMANDO1

here is a trick that i read online, and i have tried. get a shop vac and put hose next to hole just before they all start returning for night, or first thing in the morning. turn on vac and let run...as they come out they get sucked...when none return queen has to go out to inspect...when she is gone...they will not return. I had theM behind the siding of me house,worked great. When i was done i sprayed killier up the hose to kill all of them. i opened the vacume and found.no kidding about 10,000 wasps

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Prater

I worked in the garden yesterday with one still flying around. It inspected me a bit and then went back to its burrow and hunting grounds. I read online that they will seldom sting and when they do it feels like a pin prick. It was unnerving at first but after about 5 minutes I was used to having it fly around me. They are supposed to be binificial to your garden as the burrows let air to the roots of your plants and the wasp feeds on necter and helps polination. I now feel bad about killing the others, I will know next year. Thanks for the suggestions, the one thing mentioned online is if you want them gone to use a cotton ball with sevin dust applied to it and stick it in the burrow. the wasp will remove it and die of exposure to the sevin dust.

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Fun Engineer

Looks like a Yellow Jacket Steven

I use a spray to kill those that have made a nest. Haven't had the problem you have in a vegetable garden. I did have a nest built in my bathroom fan exhaust duct a few years back. That was a real pain to fix. I take a preventative approch now and hang a bee/wasp/fly trap from a tree near the back yard. It seems to attract the Yellow jackets and flies but not the honey bees. Its nothing more than a plastic jar that looks like a quart canning jar with a lid on it. It lets the insect in but not out. I use either a rotten piece of meat or my preference, beer to attract the insects. I get to drink what beer is left in the can :laughing-rofl:

Good Luck

Dave

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Prater

Thanks Dave, It is way too big to be a Yellow Jacket. I had a nest of them a few years back. One of these is about the size of three yellow jackets!!!

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312Hydro

Thanks Dave, It is way too big to be a Yellow Jacket. I had a nest of them a few years back. One of these is about the size of three yellow jackets!!!

Maybe it's one of those "Schwarzenegger Yellow Jackets" Google - Skynet Yellow Jacket.

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perry

i planted a sweet corn garden for the first time a few years back. i had the black and white hornets nest on a limb right above the corn. then another started in a tree near the corn. never seen them before that . the next year same thing. but they nest further away. i stopped planting corn and see no more of the nesting around my property. just thought that was wierd.

i did notice i had small pure black looking bee's pollinateing the heck out of the corn. never seen thous either before i started to plant corn .

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County Agent

It sure looks like a cicada killer. As you have experienced,they will fly pretty close and invade your personal space, but seldom will sting. About the only time they will sting is when you "make" them, such as one getting in your clothing and you accidentally mash it. But, I agree with you, they sure look ferocious.

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CasualObserver

From looking at it, you're probably right about it being a Cicada Killer. They are intimidating... noisy buzzing, large and dangerous looking. Never been stung by one yet. I have a new nest of bald faced hornets that dug out from under my driveway. Exterminator is coming today to get rid of them. I don't mind the Cicada Killers, but I can't be having hornets around the kids. (and the little buggers nest is right next to the lawnmower side of the garage door.

For anyone else... there's a ton of info on the web. This is a nice ID reference if you don't know what kind of wasp/hornet you have. http://www.pbase.com/crocodile/wasps&page=all it's not all inclusive... in fact... one important variety missing is the Cicada Killer, but it's a nice collection nonetheless.

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Prater

I was picking the garden last night and disturbed it a bit. I could hear it flying by me but it never landed on me. I never saw it since it was dark, but you know its there by the buzzing sound.

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jla1257

Mark the nests and leave them alone for the remainder of the day. After dark, once they have all returned to the nest dump a big pot of boiling water down each hole. Get it soupy and mix up with a shovel if you feel like it. Using the boiling water is safer in your garden than using poisons that may last in your soil for several days to months and be absorbed by the produce you are growing to eat. This works great for fire ants and yellow jackets as well.

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Prater

I have done that to fire ants many times. Did not even think about using it in the garden.

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