Bald-face hornets dilemna

Two of my kids were stung by bald faced hornets two days ago.  Yesterday I found the nest on the bottom of a baby swing on our old swing set.  I am thinking to go out there at night and put the swing in a bag and then put the bag in the freezer.  

The problem is that I've taught my kids to love insects of all kinds and the two that got stung don't want me to kill the "mommy hornets and their poor babies".  

I don't think I should leave it where it's at since no one would be able to swing all summer long, plus it's by a often used part of the yard.  Plus I am allergic to them so they definitely can't stay where they are. If I hang it out in our 2 acre woods somewhere, the kids might still stumble into it while playing out there though they probably would be able to avoid it since it's a bright pink plastic swing.

I'd like to hear your opinions, if I should give in to my kids on this or just kill them anyway.  They won't be sobbing or heartbroken but none of us like killing anything if there isn't a really good reason...

I'd also like the know the most humane way to kill them if I must.

I find them to be pretty aggressive, but they're really effective pest murderers.  

Sometimes there's one in our outside shower when I have my shower in the evening. If we leave the door open in the day, there are all kinds of flies and moths blundering around in there by evening, cause the walls are all glass. The hornet comes in and starts picking off the flies one by one. Once it's done it flies out again. It doesn't get trapped like the other flying things.

I'd try relocating it first.

Last year we had bald faced hornets pollinating within a few inches of me harvesting with no aggression. If there was a nest and it was disturbed, most bugs will go crazy. If the nest is near your children, then it needs to be moved or destroyed in my opinion just for their safety. BTW I have no idea how to move a nest or even if it's possible. We usually just destroy them if they are a problem.

I don't think there's one right answer:

1. If your kids can do without the swing, you could try "bagging" the lower part of the swing, but leave the chain out. Before doing so, choose a place in the woods where the nest is less likely to be a problem and ideally a high enough branch that the swing seat will be well above head height. That really means that you've got to choose a spot and put a ladder up before bagging the swing. Then you need to carry the bagged swing as gently as possible to its new summer location. Then I suspect the best way to get the bag off without being stung is to not do so... just use a knife to quickly slice a decent hole in the bottom. The wasps shouldn't have any trouble finding their way out, but hopefully won't do so until you're at a safe distance.

2. My humane way of killing wasps if the nest is small is to go out after dark with a paper bag and a scraper if the nest is attached well. I close the bag around the nest, and then just put it on a flat surface and stomp on it. Not fancy, but quick and permanent.

I have lots of wasps around my well shed area where many of my annuals are planted because that's were the sun is best. However, they're not aggressive. I've read that wasps can learn to identify different humans, and if you can convince them you're friend, not foe, they won't sting you. I'm not convinced that works with some of the more aggressive/territorial wasps. I am not allergic to the sting, but I have about the strongest negative reaction that's possible without being allergic. So I'll back up the people who say the nest can't stay where it is. I know to move slowly and deliberately in the area, but children are children and stings can be more dangerous for some people than others.

Yeah, it's a tough call.

Generally, the hornets around here leave me alone unless I mess with their nest. That's fair; I can provisionally work with that. They add value.

Contrast that with yellowjacket wasps, aggressive little pukoids who sting for laughs and presume to own my space: well, if I find your nest my darlings, I will take you out with a flame thrower. What you give is what you get. And what goes around comes around.

Pardon the rant; the gist is -- do what is necessary. All mama bears have the right to be territorial.

I also appreciate the benefits of hornets in food forest or garden, but I would have an epi-pen or two and benedryll on hand if you are allergic or have kids or elderly folks encountering them. Our nurse-practitioner prescribed one for my wife after a bad yellowkacket reaction, and we take it backpacking as well as having on hand at the house. It is a small fraction of the price when prescribed vs over the counter, and buys you time for the benedryl to keep your airway open. If we don’t have an airway, we don’t have a patient… this will make the worst case scenario much less likely and ominous for living with hornets.

On a side note, I was once leading an all female youth trailcrew in North Cascades National Park, and had a couple of young women in front of me on a steep trail. The first girl, who was struggling with the hike up Desolation Peak, put the hiking pole i’d lent her into a hornets nest. They let the ladies in front get by and focused their ire on me. I had seven stings and hornets all over my face before I knew what was going on. I started shouting curses and “move move move, for godsfuckingsake move!”. I then picked up the girl in front of me by the pack loop and dragged her at a gallop up the side of the mountain around the first girl. I probably looked a bit like George Costanza fleeing the fire in an apartment full of children, but i at least brought one with me. The ladies in the back apparently thought it must've been a bear and I’d lost my sense and ran away (the worst thing to do!). When they noticed and went around the nest after I hollered back to them once the hornets were dispersed, they all laughed, and I would have if I could move my face. Luckily I had a minimal reaction, but I was glad we had an epi pen just in case, as we were 5mi up a trail that was then 25mi by canoe to the nearest settlement.

You could relocate the nest if it is above ground and you deem it safe enough. Up to you but this seems a very humane solution rather than destroying them, for people who are not allergic of course! (I am, so I take steps to discourage them like painting over bare wood in highly trafficked areas and encouraging their predators).

I believe there is even a PEP badge for relocating a nest (wasps? hornets?) from where it is a nuisance to where it is of value. I would link it but I can't seem to find it upon searching.

Where would a bald faced hornets nest be of value? I don't know, if anyone has thoughts on that?

Depending on your kids, moving it might be a stewardship learning opportunity. You could together to find a "good" place out of the way where they won't accidentally hit the swing. They could observe them from a distance, cheering them on when they catch those big biting flies. And when cool weather returns, clean off the swing and put it back.

If they're likely to go after the nest (maybe for revenge for being stung, or for excitement, or because they're kids who don't notice where they are) I'd bag them. If your allergic response is bad enough, get someone else to bag them.

Well nature took care of the problem for me. I waited for my dad to come over today and he was going to help me figure out what to do. But there were only bits of the nest laying around in the grass under the swing. Something ate them! Probably a bird. I noticed that the wasp nests up in my eaves are all of a sudden missing too. Something is enjoying baby wasp larva.

I'm glad the hornets are gone but I'm kind of annoyed about all the wasps from the eaves being gone. Who is going to eat all my garden pests now?

Jenny Wright wrote:I'm glad the hornets are gone but I'm kind of annoyed about all the wasps from the eaves being gone. Who is going to eat all my garden pests now?

Be careful what you wish for. Nature abhors a vacuum. And many creatures are sniffing around for the local snack bar.

My kid just showed me this drawing of the hornets. I thought I'd share.

Just as a later fyi: I had a huge bald-faced hornet nest next to my horse corral (not where the horse would hit it) and for 20 years they kept the area free of flies. They’d sit horseback then jump on any flies, and were not aggressive at all, even when I discovered the nest at a 5ft distance the first time. They liked to investigate shirt buttons, though, which was a bit unnerving for visitors.