Treevet's big bald faced hornet adventure

YOu only get one stroke with the hand saw or pole saw before they come running.. never tried the power pruner, but bet it would be bettter than a second stroke with the pole saw... had one once where I hit the little sprout they were on with my hand saw from the bucket and the branch dropped but the nest didn't (wrong shoot)... my ground guys fell down laughing, watching my swat and screaming like a little girl... I call it taking one for the team... on the other hand it might have been karma as Once the branch fell I was planning on it being their problem.. Once the nest is gone it seems like they are more busy looking for the nest than protecting the emplt space.. maybe its in the numbers though.. I think spray would have worked to knock the popplation way down before extraction... they don't attack the spray can op like they do the saw op
 
Daniel said:
YOu only get one stroke with the hand saw or pole saw before they come running.. never tried the power pruner, but bet it would be bettter than a second stroke with the pole saw... had one once where I hit the little sprout they were on with my hand saw from the bucket and the branch dropped but the nest didn't (wrong shoot)... my ground guys fell down laughing, watching my swat and screaming like a little girl... I call it taking one for the team... on the other hand it might have been karma as Once the branch fell I was planning on it being their problem.. Once the nest is gone it seems like they are more busy looking for the nest than protecting the emplt space.. maybe its in the numbers though.. I think spray would have worked to knock the popplation way down before extraction... they don't attack the spray can op like they do the saw op
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I think the spray, wide stream and long distance just doesn't work on them. Now if you can shoot the foam into the hole...different story as they are plugged in there. But if you think you can knock down the nest and then have at them...ain't happenin...there will be plenty where the nest WAS. And they all are at war.

Now if you got a nest near the ground...that's childs play...like toomuchchainsawdustandwoodchips or whatev tf it is., said he had.
 
If you got to hook up a crane and have the headache ball RIGHT on the spot....just see how long that takes to choke the stem and put it on the hook, while you are getting tagged in the face and mouth (they love to go in the mouth) and arms and body, and your hands are occupied and you have to double clutch the bucket handle...

(air instigated to activate) and then get atleast 20 feet side ways till they stop chasing and hitting you. I probably killed about 20 or 30 that time alone. It feels like getting a steroid shot (injury) when you get the piercing pain...then you get the pressure pain with the steroid but with the hornet you get the poison pain.
 
treevet said:
I think the spray, wide stream and long distance just doesn't work on them. Now if you can shoot the foam into the hole...different story as they are plugged in there. But if you think you can knock down the nest and then have at them...ain't happenin...there will be plenty where the nest WAS. And they all are at war.

Now if you got a nest near the ground...that's childs play...like toomuchchainsawdustandwoodchips or whatev tf it is., said he had.
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That's exactly what I did. Foaming spray, right in the hole. 2 cans back to back and I have 2 witnesses. The hornets didn't stand a chance. Yesterday I sprayed some ground wasps with it and they flew around for a bit before dropping. I think plugging the hole hard and fast (giggity) with the foam is the ticket. The trick is to climb slowly and calmly to get into range. 27' stream my ass, more like 5'. You gotta be close.

Try it next time. What the worst that can happen? You get stung a bunch like you just did? Fuq it, at least the nest will be gone.
 
Toomuchsawdust said:
That's exactly what I did. Foaming spray, right in the hole. 2 cans back to back and I have 2 witnesses. The hornets didn't stand a chance. Yesterday I sprayed some ground wasps with it and they flew around for a bit before dropping. I think plugging the hole hard and fast (giggity) with the foam is the ticket. The trick is to climb slowly and calmly to get into range. 27' stream my ass, more like 5'. You gotta be close.

Try it next time. What the worst that can happen? You get stung a bunch like you just did? Fuq it, at least the nest will be gone.
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No access or clean shot at the hole from where I could get to.
 
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treevet said:
I think the spray, wide stream and long distance just doesn't work on them. Now if you can shoot the foam into the hole...different story as they are plugged in there. But if you think you can knock down the nest and then have at them...ain't happenin...there will be plenty where the nest WAS. And they all are at war.

Now if you got a nest near the ground...that's childs play...like toomuchchainsawdustandwoodchips or whatev tf it is., said he had.
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Vet I've sprayed the foam in the hole of a white face nest recently. After running away right after. I walked back to see if they were coming out. I had to immediately turn away cause I could see them trying to punch a hole in the top of the nest. When I came back, there were several stuck dead sticking out of the top.
 
Been hit by bees , yellow jackets and European wasps. Nothing compared to bald face hornets. Got stung by what I first thought was a fly, then another one and again. That must have been the warning bumps tree vet was talking about because the next two hits were like a red hot pin going into my arm. Never even heard of these hornets before till that day.
 
I'm going to be that guy..... surely a basketball sized hornets nest is pretty obvious? I have no experience with them, but a big white basketball seems to be quite a noticeable thing. Was the tree not looked at in the two days prior while working on site? to make a plan or at least access any potential hazards ? what about when the job was quoted?

your efforts in dealing with those nasty buggars sounds pretty crazy but I can't help but think that there could have been a much easier/ less painful way in dealing with the situation

props for doing what you did but it just sounds super dodgy :)
 
colemanjessenz said:
I have no experience with them, but a big white basketball seems to be quite a noticeable thing.
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Hahahahahah very true, it's understandable how that sounds like something you'd keep an eye out for. You would be shocked how something that big can be something that can be unnoticed for some time.
They don't exactly plan to make them to be exposed either.
 
Mark Chisholm said:
I had 2 run ins last week. One climber was stung a few times about 50' up a pine and came down.

Next time a different climber was only 15' up and started getting hammered. I waited and asked the guys where the nest was and they said the top of the tree had a small nest. I started up the same path as him and noticed that he was at the height I was when paused to look around. Looked towards the top and didn't see anything at all.

Then I looked to my left and BAM! Was a huge nest right by my face. I bailed fast!!
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I saw the nest when I got nearby but the show must go on when collecting a big check is imminent after already putting in 2 full days. Even a perfect, all seeing, non dodgy inspector like Colemanjessenz from Germany , would not have seen the nest from the ground on my job.
 
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treevet said:
I saw the nest when I got nearby but the show must go on when collecting a big check is imminent after already putting in 2 full days. Even a perfect, all seeing, non dodgy inspector like Colemanjessenz from Germany , would not have seen the nest from the ground on my job.
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Originally from N.Z just based in Germany
Sounds like you are still recovering so i will leave the questions for the time being
Get better soon :)
 
I am just fine son. Worked the rest of the day and finished the job and went to work the next day. Just hard to take perfect pants comments sometimes from someone with "no experience with them". Cheers
 
I was in the bucket last year, trimming a large shrub back from a first floor roof and gutter with a hand saw and got nailed a few times... groundy said he saw the nest right by my head.. within inches.... when I got down and looked for it from the ground I couldn't find it.. and neither could he for a minute or two.. knowing it was there it was still practically invisible...
 
They are camouflaged often. Sometimes they are grey and this one was mostly tan with grey and I think the tan simulates sunlight filtering thru the branches. They are usually nestled in heavy foliage. Never seen one built on a dead or dying tree.
 
Yep. My nest was only about ten feet up in a lush ash. Took 3 guys about 5 minutes to locate it. I assured them it was in there somewhere
 
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