Watch Out Where You Put Your Flagging

[g_man]

I was doing some cull flagging yesterday and when I turned around to look at my work I was surprised to see this right about at breast height on the back of the last tree.



  

I am glad it was cool out and they were moving slow. Big black wasps.

Around here they say "If the bees nest low then we won't get much snow" .  So it should be good going this winter. I can't recall seeing a nest low like this before. Usually they are in the ground or hanging off a branch higher up.

[beenthere]

Looks like the bald-faced hornet nest.
Last year, I had three of them nearby. One about 3 ft off the ground (knocked it down with my bucket when digging some rocks as I didn't see it until the hornets flew out), another in a maple tree near the house about 10' up (watched it for weeks building the nest larger), and then another near my shed about 5' off the ground that I didn't see until the leaves were off.

This year, haven't seen a one yet.

[Maine logger88]

I saw one about 40' up in a pine the other day so I hope what you say about the snow isn't true lol

[clww]

I cannot recall ever seeing one on the tree trunk itself, they've always been built in the limbs. Great picture!
That would have scared me to death, after the fact, because I'm allergic to the stings.

[Stroover]

Y'all are lucky down there! For us, the hornet's nests and what-not are about 15 feet plus in the air! Needless to say, we're expecting A LOT of snow! :(
Maine Logger88, I'm next door to you (New Brunswick). Brace yourself, my friend!

[GDinMaine]

I don't know if I believe this kind of stuff forecasts the winter conditions.  Although I would much rather have a nice - old-fashioned snowy winter - like last year, instead of one without snow. I spent a lot of time clearing snow, but I loved snow since I was a kid.  May be I just have not grown up yet.

[thurlow]

My granddaddy usta say that you could shoot into a hornet's nest with a .22 rifle and they would follow the track of the bullet back to you............... ;D

[Stroover]

My granddaddy usta say that you could shoot into a hornet's nest with a .22 rifle and they would follow the track of the bullet back to you............... ;D

You know what? I remember hearing that too!

[Mooseherder]

We had 2 Hornet nests at the cabin a couple months ago.
One was less than 20 feet from the front door on a sapling less than 3 foot high.  I waited until dark and lit it up with some torch fuel.
I didn't get them all but most of them were toasted.  A few buzzed me while I stayed close with lighter fluid.  I kept the ground burning while they were falling.  Then a few days later I got lit up while up by the mill.  I had just cut a bunch of wood to be split and laid the chainsaw down on an outside workbench I have and thought to myself this thing is at the perfect height for sharpening.  The hive was directly beneath the saw and I hadn't seen it.  Went to get my file and started.  Then my left arm was on fire from all the stings.  It happened so fast I thought the muffler got me before I realized what was happening.  I ran by the bench and snagged the saw a few hours later.  They're probably still there. :

[sprucebunny]

 ???



 

:D



 
Sorry but those guys were just too close 

[Stroover]

Hey Sprucebunny (and anybody else with a hornet/wasp problem): Get yourself a squirt bottle, spray bottle, or one of those pump bottles to spray your lawn with, and fill it with a mixture of Ivory Liquid and water, roughly 2 tbls per liter or more if you're a little jittery about it (ONLY Ivory Liquid WILL WORK!!!).  Spray/squirt the buggers and they will be dead before they hit the ground, I guarantee!

[mrector]

My granddaddy usta say that you could shoot into a hornet's nest with a .22 rifle and they would follow the track of the bullet back to you............... ;D

This is totally accurate.  Hornets track air disturbances from foreign objects for defense. I  Threw a rock into a nest from 50 feet away, jumped in truck and watched them swarm my windows. I was trapped for 30 minutes.

Also nest height depends on species, like beenthere said these are bald face hornets, they build low usually no higher than breast heighth.

Mikey