Ridge Runner

of the European hornet? got my first dose of them the other day, absolutely the worst sting I ever experienced, 3 stings in a 2" spot on top of the head, one on the wrist, you couldn't make my head hurt worse with a hammer, pain lasted 5 hours before letting up, gonna get 1/2 trashed, armed with bee spray and some permethrin, gonna do battle with them on Monday. Read an article once calling them the "gentle giant" I call bull****!
RR

hardcastonly

Jack Ryan

We call 'em yellow jackets around here.

My dog just got in a nest of them yesterday. He had them still swarming him after we walked back to the house. I thought he was just whining about a horse fly. Then I had yellow jackets swarming ME while I was dosing him with permethrin.

Finally got him sprayed good and started brushing out what ever was biting him at the same time and yellow jackets were coming out of his fur. By the time we walked 100 yards to jump in the creek and drown them and wash off the pheromes or what ever it is, he was limping and dragging his back leg like he was paralyzed. I got him washed off good and gave him half a Zyrtec while the wife went to town for Benedryl and I gave him a baby aspirin. By the time I got a 25mg peanutbutter Benadryl down him he at least started calming down but they had him so messed up he couldn't even lay down or get up after he laid down.

This evening he seems pretty spry again for a 12 year old dog.

Still looking for they yellow jacket nest.

Jack Ryan

You will do better with Sevin dust.

Bocajnala

You may. Around here those are two very different types of wasp. The European hornet is probably 2-3 times larger than the yellow jacket.

The yellow jacket usually seems to be the more aggressive one though.

-jake

Champlain Islander

I have a couple pear trees in my orchard and when they start to fall and rot on the ground the yellow jackets are all over them. When I mow I stay away from them.

Bocajnala

Seems like fighting various bees(using that term loosely for all stinging flying creatures) is a yearly tradition for me.

Something I look forward to almost now.

There's always a big nest showing up somewhere on the property.

-Jake

Chris76

MudderChuck

I signed up for a course on how to raise Honey Bee's. They always fascinated me and I've wanted to get my own hive for years. No Honey Bee's around here anymore. My fruit trees and my neighbors aren't very productive anymore., I figure the Honey Bee's will help the yield.

I have a large variety of wild Bee's around, Bumble Bee's, etc. since the Honey Bee's stopped showing up, but there aren't that many of them.

I plant a lot of Bee-friendly flowers and plant varieties that bloom at different times and keep what Bee's there are in nectar, spring, summer, and way into the fall.

I keep a can of car quick start spray (ether) around, I've found nothing better to get rid of a Hornet nest.

Champlain Islander

The public utility crews always have some good hornet and wasp killer in an aerosol can. One blast and the critters start dropping out of the nest. Ground wasps can be hard to get to but I'll use the wasp killer and spray into the hole. Got to be committed though and hope they can't get out of another hole.