Bald Faced Hornet
Safely Removing the Nest

The bald Faced Hornet, also called White Faced Hornets, are members of the wasp family and are distinguished from other wasps by their large round or oval shaped paper nests. These nests can be a foot in diameter and have a single entrance hole, usually near the bottom. When the nest is disturbed they will quickly swarm, viciously defending their nests. Several hundred hornets can live in a large nest.

Hornets have a bad reputation and are known for repeatedly stinging anyone or any animal that is close by. I can personally testify to this because I have been stung multiple times in a single attack. They are extremely fast and their stings are quite painful. When on the attack, they are so fast there is really nothing you can do except run.

Many Hollywood movies have played on the wasp’s fierce reputation. I recall a John Wayne movie that included a scene where a bald faced hornet nest was thrown into a train. There was also the movie “Man of the House” with Jonathon Taylor Thomas and Chevy Chase. In this movie, Thomas rigs a trap using a large hornet’s nest that drops onto the bad guys.

Facts About the Bald Faced Hornet

While it is true that hornets do have a bad temper when their nests are disturbed, bald faced hornets are actually beneficial insects. They hunt other small insects, including flies, small wasps, and other insects. These captured insects are taken back to the nest as food for their young. Each nest consists of a:

• Queen – responsible for egg laying
• Workers – All workers are female. They are responsible for capturing food, building the nest, and guarding the nest and attacking intruders.
• Drones - All males and have no stinger. Their job is to mate with certain females that become new queens. The new queen leave the nest to start new ones.

Bald faced hornets are often seen on untreated wood surfaces. They work tirelessly removing wood fibers used for nest construction. The nest starts off small, the size of a baseball, becoming oval shaped as it grows. Inside the nest is the standard waffle pattern that contains hornet larva. Before summer ends, it can be over two feet long and hold several hundred hornets.

Their nests are often built in the tops of tall trees from deep forest to neighborhood settings. In the tops of trees, bald faced hornets usually pose no threat and are not aggressive away from the nests. Most people never even know it is there until leaves fall in the fall. They do not reuse an old nest and start with a new nest each year.

When Should Hornets be Controlled

Bald faced hornet nest removal should be considered whenever hornets pose a stinging threat to you, your family, pets, or to anyone passing by. Bald faced hornets will build a nest in any sized tree or shrub, often in close proximity to humans and buildings. They will build nests in hedges, on the sides of houses, underneath carports, inside barns, attics, and even the underside of patio furniture.

Hornet Nest Removal – Pesticides, Safety, and Precautions

The hornets must be killed before removing the nest. The easiest method of killing hornets is to use a "Wasp and Hornet" spray that says “Immediate Knockdown Power” or “Kills on Contact” on the label. They can be purchased at most hardware stores and even some grocery stores.

Do not use sprays labeled for flies, mosquitoes, or other flying insects. Do not use “fogger” type sprays. They don’t have the knockdown power and you will probably get stung. Hornet stings are painful, especially multiple stings, so don’t chance it. The product you use must be labeled specifically for wasp and hornets.

Do not allow children to spray the nest, it is a job for adults only. Children may not understand the danger involved should it not go as well as you had hoped. Bee and hornet stings may look cute on “America’s Funniest Videos”, but if you have ever been attacked, you know it is not that funny.

Aiming and Shooting the Wasp and Hornet Spray

Aim the can at the entrance of the nest and continue to spray until the can is empty. It will take under a minute. The spray will coat most of the nest killing the larva and adults. For large nests have an additional can in your other hand ready to spray. You don’t want to run out before the job is completed.

Beware: Although some cans are labeled to shoot up to 27 ft. they are not accurate at that distance. Expect the jet stream to start breaking up and spreading out at about half the stated distance on the can. You should always test the stream away from the nest first.

Important: The maximum shooting distance should not be much beyond the point where the stream begins to break up. This is because the stream will need to hit the nest and entrance hole with some force. If the stream breaks up before it hits the nest and only coats the outside, you may have to spray it again after they have calmed down.

It is very dangerous to use gasoline, kerosene, or diesel fuel. It is dangerous and you can get severely burned if it ignites. Attempts at throwing a bucket of gasoline on the nest will probably get you stung. This is especially true if you miss the target. You will probably only get one attempt at it.

What to Wear When Spraying Bald Faced Hornets

If your plan is to stand in front of the nest to spray, you must dress appropriately.

The object is to put as much padding between you and the hornets as you can comfortably wear. You should wear at least two pairs of loose fitting jeans, several shirts or a thick jacket, a large brimmed hat with netting over it. Tape the netting to your jacket or shirt while leaving enough slack for bending. Tape off all openings and the bottom of your pants and shirt sleeves. Wear leather gloves.

Caution: A person I know used netting over his hat when spraying a hornet’s nest, but the netting was touching the tip of his nose. One hornet stung him on the nose through the net. Make sure the netting is not resting on your skin.

Have an escape route established should something go wrong. Make sure no one else is in close vicinity when you start spraying. Move your pets inside as well. If hornets are anything like honey bees, they will break off the chase before 300 ft. (Not so for Africanized bees where attacks have continued for over 1000 ft.) Make sure your escape route is opened ended should you need more distance.

Do Not Forget The Heavy Armor

Depending on the location of the nest, the following advice may be helpful. A few weeks ago I killed a small bald faced hornet nest that was in a shrub several feet from our basement door. I was able to get within 5 feet of the nest by spraying from inside my car.

What I did was lower my driver’s side window a few inches and placed duct tape across the opening leaving a three inch gap in the middle. This small gap is where the can's nozzle is placed. I pulled the car directly in front of the nest and began spraying. I had one finger on the electric window switch should there have been a need to raise the window quickly. I didn’t need it. I was able to kill the entire nest and took it down two days later.

Important Precautions When Spraying From Inside a Car

• It is important to wear eye protection. Since your eyes will be on the nest and not the can, should the can move slightly allowing the stream to hit the tape, it could easily splash pesticide into your eyes.
• Place a towel directly under the can before you start spraying. Some of the pesticide always drips down the can and could drip on the arm rest or elsewhere in the car.
• Wash off the outside of your car after spraying the nest. You will certainly get pesticide overspray on the paint surface.