Fighting Hornets----Funs Over

[Sixgun]

I tell 'ya boys, I have had my hands full this week. On Monday, I was putting silicone around the windows and I noticed this gap where there were all these hornets/yellow jackets? (I don't know) going into, on the bedroom side. I could not believe it, it was getting near dark and I was counting 40-60 a MINUTE going in. Well, this is what I did. Maybe not smart as I hear they will eat a hole through the plasterboard and invade the house.

Monday night---I silicone the hole up (about 2" X 1/2") and the next day they had the hole back to normal. Before I patched up the hole, I sprayed a whole
lot of carb cleaner in the hole---yea, I know, not smart. Before the carb cleaner treatment I get out my propane flame thrower
and cook up a couple of hundred. Did not seem to faze them at all. I stopped that as I was afraid of burning down the house. ,(Well, my wife
made me stop, as she had a brick in her hand and the brick had my name on it.

Tuesday night---I silicone it up again and used about a half tube of the stuff. I really laid it in there. Then I put heavy duct tape for about a foot and
pressed it on real good. An hour before the patch job I sprayed a whole can of wasp killer on them.

Wednesday at noon----The hornets ate through it all and were back to going in the hole. I spray another full can of wasp killer. This time I noticed they
going under the siding.

Wednesday night------I get a full can of expanding foam and fill up the hole and under the siding. Next day, they were swarming everywhere

Thursday afternoon-------I'm seeing the suckers in the house, near the window. I suck up about 50 of them with a vacuum cleaner. I check everywhere and
cannot find where they are getting in, with the exception of slim clearances in the window sill. I spray another can of wasp killer.

Friday afternoon. --------I now have a problem, and its a big one. There's a hundred or more in the bedroom, so I suck them up, go outside they are
everywhere, so I get my Benelli Entry Gun and blast 72 holes through the side of the house with #4 buckshot...no....no.. I may
half Italian, but I ain't stupid.

I get my mega horsepower wet/dry vacuum cleaner, hook up a 20' section of PVC pipe, ,put it near where the hole used to be and have been sucking them up for several hours. Every fifteen minutes I crack the the joining line in the pipe and give it a few bursts of carb cleaner. I am watching them from inside the house and they are flying right in it. I just hope the vacuum cleaner can hold them all. ---No, ain't been stung........yet--------Sixgun




close up...see the metal tape? Look in the area where the window slides up and down.....about 50 hornets are in there..dead


Yea, I know, I have a mess to clean up.

[2ndovc]

Nasty buggers!

I had them in the attic of my last place and the nasty buggers came through the master bedroom ceiling two days before I was to transfer the house! I tossed some bug bombs like grenades into the attic and sealed up the hole with some spray foam.

Done Deal!!

jb

[AJMD429]

If a big burst of that carb-cleaner gets into the vacuum cleaner and goes past the motor like some of them do (motor cools with the air flow), you might have a fireworks display...

[Ysabel Kid]

Jack -

That does not sound (or look) like fun (other than sucking up hundreds of them into the wet vac ).

I hate to tell you, but the only reason they keep digging in (or out) is they have to have one heck of a monster nest behind the siding. Hopefully it is not in between the studs in the wall cavity, but with the number getting inside your bedroom, it sounds like that is a real possibility.

Good luck my friend!

[Ji in Hawaii]

ARGH, I feel for you brother. The past two weeks I have been battle HUGE black carpenter bees which have been tunneling holes into my canec ceiling boards for nests. I have been using my Disy model 10 lever-BBgun to pop them as they ingress/egress their nests as well as at their food source mt pepper tree blossoms- so far a dozen in a day. Been folding their "B-Holes" with insecticdes then filling them with wasp spray followed with polyurethane foam. They come back and try to burrow new entries... never ending torment.

[gamekeeper]

I've spent the last thirty years in pest control, I used to kill up to twenty two nest a day in summer, blocking the hole just makes things worse, a good insecticidal dust puffed into the hole is usually 100% effective....of course how you do that is where the fun begins...

[OldWin]

Wow man what a freakin battle! I do like the shop vac idea though. Usually I will cast my vote for the side with the hoards but we all know Sixgun is a diabolical genius. Kind of a cross between Lex Luther and The Joker.
I have the utmost confidence in you to destroy the enemy. Carry on.

[Rusty]

An old bee keeper once explained to me that he used a smoker to blow smoke on a hive to clam the bees before he worked on them. If he needed to kill a hive, he would put some sulfur in the smoker and the sulfur smoke would do them in. Not sure if it works with other stinging insects or not.

[Sixgun]

Yea guys, got up this morning (nice to be off for a change) and fired up the vacuum cleaner. I'm watching a dozen a minute getting sucked up. If they were a little bigger, I'd shoot 'em as I do have several cases of bird shot laying around.

I've been an outdoorsman my whole life and have dealt with all kinds of bees but never in the wall space of a house. I recently learned that Game Keeper's knowledge is the best and I should have never plugged up the hole. So I'm gonna suck up as many as I can and tonight I'm gonna break back into the hole and load it up with a store bought insecticide.

I'm still getting them in the bedroom but not as many. Funny thing, I can't see a crack in the bedroom anywhere but they are getting in. Like mice, I guess they can squeeze through a tiny crack.---------------6

[mohavesam]

If a credit card can get into an opening, a hornet can too.

You have a major nest issue. Even if you kill every one, I'd bet you have ten pounds+ of dead bugs in your wall. Then the ants arrive...

Maybe time for a pro?

[.45colt]

I have to do the same thing at least once every year. along time ago We got a 10' extension for cleaning gutters for the big shop-vac. I clean the filter. set it up and let it run for maybe three to six hours. if its a big hive I'll wack the side of the building with a hammer just to get them all wound up. .
Try as they might they can't get past the suction of the shop vac. when it looks like there done shoot some raid or carb cleaner in the vac as you shut it off. Good Luck Six.

[BenT]

I have a can of spray foam in my hand as I read this. I have them going into a hole in my cement block foundation. My friend said use the insecticide powder. So now I will try that and then try the shop vac which just seems like fun. And yes I was using carb cleaner earlier in the week , it must be a red neck thing.

[ollogger]

Man six that sounds like a mess, Ive had lots of trouble with bees my whole life
but never in my house

logger

[pwl44m]

I had an Adobe building on My place in the Hills. Every summer the Bees would return. They weren't mean Bees, U could walk right through then and not be bothered. But I didn't know what damage they were doing to the adobe blocks. I stopped them by putting a thin coat of stucco on it. Sounds like U definitely got a prob 6, I don't think I would like them in My Bedroom.
Perry

[Ysabel Kid]

I've spent the last thirty years in pest control, I used to kill up to twenty two nest a day in summer, blocking the hole just makes things worse, a good insecticidal dust puffed into the hole is usually 100% effective....of course how you do that is where the fun begins...

If a credit card can get into an opening, a hornet can too.

You have a major nest issue. Even if you kill every one, I'd bet you have ten pounds+ of dead bugs in your wall. Then the ants arrive...

Maybe time for a pro?

John, sounds like mohavesam and I are in agreement - Jack has got a major nest. Having been in the business for three decades, what say ye?

[Sixgun]

I have a can of spray foam in my hand as I read this. I have them going into a hole in my cement block foundation. My friend said use the insecticide powder. So now I will try that and then try the shop vac which just seems like fun. And yes I was using carb cleaner earlier in the week , it must be a red neck thing.

Yea, redneck I am. Never could see paying someone big bucks while I can do it myself, even if it means me getting stung 4,000 times while I'm sleeping. Ahhhh, you can't worry 'bout little things like that.

My plan must be working, only had 3 bees in the bedroom today. The shop vac is about 5 pounds heavier but I don't know if its the bees or the gasoline I poured down the tube while it was running. No biggie, even if the vac blows, its kinda away from everything and I'll discover a new way to get some exploding knowledge.

I was having a blast today. I put my ear down on the PVC pipe and every time a bee got sucked in, it made a clicking sound. When it was hot today, the bees were clicking to the sound of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".

Went to Home Depot and spent another $40 on spray like Raid, etc. I was going to drill a new hole where the old hole was and shoot in the spray but I did such a nice job of patching it up I decided to leave it alone.

Well, we will see what tomorrow brings. I'll take the top off the vacuum and take some pics for some "Sunday Night Leverguns excitement.----6

[OldWin]

Sounds like the tide may be turning. I expected no less.

[jdad]

If you have yellow jackets there is a product at Home Depot called "Spectracide". Speaking from experience they do drop, from the sky, when hit. It's the nest and all the unhatched larvae you need to worry about.

[gamekeeper]

I've spent the last thirty years in pest control, I used to kill up to twenty two nest a day in summer, blocking the hole just makes things worse, a good insecticidal dust puffed into the hole is usually 100% effective....of course how you do that is where the fun begins...

If a credit card can get into an opening, a hornet can too.

You have a major nest issue. Even if you kill every one, I'd bet you have ten pounds+ of dead bugs in your wall. Then the ants arrive...

Maybe time for a pro?

John, sounds like mohavesam and I are in agreement - Jack has got a major nest. Having been in the business for three decades, what say ye?

The earlier you find and destroy the nest the better, a wasp nest starts off in the spring about the size of a hens egg and grows rapidly over the summer, if a potent insecticide dust is pumped into the entrance it should coat the inside of the nest killing the grubs before they hatch, the adult hornets or wasps will die as they come in contact with the insecticide.
Bees are different, honey bees arrive in their thousands but I treat them the same way if they are inside a building, other types of bees may require different methods but not all bees are harmful and some species can be left alone.
The destroyed nest, if it can be seen, should be removed but the residual insecticide should take care of other insects that are attracted to the old nest. The nest will die on its own come the first frosts and they are not used again but new queens can build a new nest next to the old one.
I'm not sure what insecticides you guys can buy but we use one called Ficam D.

[Sixgun]

The earlier you find and destroy the nest the better, a wasp nest starts off in the spring about the size of a hens egg and grows rapidly over the summer, if a potent insecticide dust is pumped into the entrance it should coat the inside of the nest killing the grubs before they hatch, the adult hornets or wasps will die as they come in contact with the insecticide.
Bees are different, honey bees arrive in their thousands but I treat them the same way if they are inside a building, other types of bees may require different methods but not all bees are harmful and some species can be left alone.
The destroyed nest, if it can be seen, should be removed but the residual insecticide should take care of other insects that are attracted to the old nest. The nest will die on its own come the first frosts and they are not used again but new queens can build a new nest next to the old one.
I'm not sure what insecticides you guys can buy but we use one called Ficam D.

Gamekeeper,
Thank you for your valued knowledge. I believe I got this one licked. Got up this morning and only a few straglers. The nest is in the wall, so that's not getting removed. I'm going to drill so 1/16" holes and pump in insecticide and make sure they are dead on the inside. No bees in the house today.

Gonna empty out the vacuum cleaner later today and take a few pics. Ought to be interesting.-----------6

[Ji in Hawaii]

When victory is your's you should have a T-Shirt or patch made commemorating the event. Here's some ideas.

Fighting Hornets

[wecsoger]

I love the idea of the extended pvc pipe and vacuum cleaner.

Now for what I'm seeing as the bad news. If you got that many critters, I agree with everyone else - that nest has to be huge.

So saying, do your really, really want to leave ten, fifteen, twenty five pounds of decaying organic matter up in your wall?

Once you get the KIA body count down, I can see you have to go in there, rip boards out and clean up. if you don't get them all morted out, maybe it will be a night time construction job.

Might be able to figure out then how they're getting inside. And you can re-insulate too while you're in there.

[Sixgun]

Well, the excitement is over in my miserable existence. Spent the last 7 days on this stuff and yes, once again, I have won. Virtually no hornets at all today so I unplugged the wet vac and shot about a half can of carb cleaner in the hose, waited a minute, and very gingerly opened that baby up. 100 percent casualty rate. Yea baby, I kilt them all.

Not as many as I predicted so it was not worth taking a picture. I was really expecting to see the holding area of the vac half full but there was only enough to fill up about 2 quart Mason jars.

Lets see if my redneck mentality works.....$60 on spray, $10 on electricity to run the vacuum cleaner for 3 days 24/7, $15 on 5 cans of carb cleaner, loads of aggravation and time spent. Vs. a couple of hundred for the pros? I don't know, had a lot of fun and did learn something, well, maybe not all fun.

OK, all over and I thank you boys for all of the great suggestions and

Ji, you da man with the great art work ----- 6

[FWiedner]

At least put some 'kill" decals on the Shop-Vac...

[Ji in Hawaii]

At least put some 'kill" decals on the Shop-Vac...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/40-alabama-stat ... 33851d8589

[Ysabel Kid]

At least put some 'kill" decals on the Shop-Vac...

+1

[BenT]

Jack the shop vac ROCKS! I've sucked up about 4 hundred out of the hole in my foundation. I would only run it for about 20 minutes at time. Otherwise the hornets would just hover and not go in. So about every hour I would walk by and turned it on. After shutting it off just open it up and hit with brake cleaner. Not many left. I do need to stock back up on brake and carb cleaner.

[wolfdog]

This way looks like fun too, but would be kind of tough on the house.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Bo2ro60ro

[zzr7ky]

I've had luck with this product: Cynoff Wettable Powder. Good spider controll, Wood bee's lost interest in my place also. I take care of several places with this stuff.

http://www.pestproducts.com/cynoff_wp.htm

Use care with the Shop Vac - They have been known to go boom when fuel is available...

All the best,
Mike

[Noah Zark]

There is simply NO WAY that I would spray Carb Cleaner or Brake Cleaner inside the walls of my house. Those are highly flammable solvents, and a spark will set them off. Not much less flammable than gasoline.

And spraying that stuff into any kind of vacuum cleaner is just as crazy -- the plastic hoses are noted for generating static electricity under the right conditions. Vacuums have exploded as a result of sucking up solvents and fuels. Some people claim the wires in the hose will carry of the static charge, NO, THEY DON'T IN ALL CASES. Just because you got away with it up to now doesn't mean its safe to do! Let the humidity drop much below 50% to 55% RH and see what happens.

STOP USING SOLVENTS AS INSECT KILLERS INSIDE YOUR HOMES!

Ground bees in the ground, or paper wasps in a bush is a different matter, but NOT YOUR HOUSE!

Noah

[Old Ironsights]

I prefer Organophosphate based Toxins...

Inject from the INSIDE with the Shop Vac on the OUTSIDE drawing through the hole.

[Sixgun]

Well, bees are gone. Now I'm trying to blow up the shop vac. (thanks to all of the suggestions ) I have the shop vac way out in the middle of the yard and I'm spraying through the end of the 20' pvc pipe. I used two cans of carb cleaner and nothing, so.........I tried a can of starting fluid (ether) and that did not do it either. The shop vac must have a quart of highly flammables in it right no so I'm headed outside and this time I'm gonna strike a match (wooden jobs that burn for 5 seconds or so) and send that down the tube and see what happens. Man! This is fun. --------------6

[Ji in Hawaii]

Well, bees are gone. Now I'm trying to blow up the shop vac. (thanks to all of the suggestions ) I have the shop vac way out in the middle of the yard and I'm spraying through the end of the 20' pvc pipe. I used two cans of carb cleaner and nothing, so.........I tried a can of starting fluid (ether) and that did not do it either. The shop vac must have a quart of highly flammables in it right no so I'm headed outside and this time I'm gonna strike a match (wooden jobs that burn for 5 seconds or so) and send that down the tube and see what happens. Man! This is fun. --------------6

[UncleSarge58]

Hey Y'All Watch This.....BOOM

[UncleSarge58]

Hey Y'All Watch This.....BOOM

[cas]

Well, at least that beats how we got rid of the bees in the walls of the cabin.

A bear came and tore a huge hole in the sawn timber siding and eat all the hives.

[Old Ironsights]

Well, at least that beats how we got rid of the bees in the walls of the cabin.

A bear came and tore a huge hole in the sawn timber siding and eat all the hives.

That would have been fun to watch...