# What is this?



## Miss Kay (Mar 31, 2012)

We noticed this at the base of a bush today and a friend said it is a bee hive. I thought it was a hornet's nest but really have no idea. We live in south Texas and the killer bees live in this area and some of the bee hives are a blend of regular bees mixed with the killer kind. I know nothing about bees except that I'm allergic to them so I'm not sure what to do. Does anyone know what they are and can you tell if they are the safe kind or the killer kind?


----------



## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

hornets.


----------



## Miss Kay (Mar 31, 2012)

How will I get rid of them?


----------



## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Yep, hornets.


----------



## poderac (Jun 17, 2011)

Call an exterminator. They pack too much of a wallop for you to try it, and beekeepers are not allowed to kill. They can only live remove honeybees.


----------



## goodatit (May 1, 2013)

Miss Kay said:


> How will I get rid of them?


where exactly are they located?


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

There are a couple of ways to remove them. If your close enough fill a hose end sprayer with dollar store dish soap go out so late in the evening you can barely see the entrance and soak it down good spray up in the nest. You can use the same thing in a tank pressure sprayer.

When I get calls away from home to get rid of them I don't want to hang around all night so I take Specrside pro wasp and hornet spray I buy at home depot. Kills them quick is a contact killer that works up to 4 weeks if it doesn't get washed down.

Venom from honey bees is different than what wasp and hornets have
You do carry a Epi Pen too right?

 Al


----------



## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

This nest looks abandon! Have you actually seen the hornets on or in the nest? Very few survive the winter because they are a major food source for birds,but,birds normally tear up the nest much more.
As for getting rid of them,if the nest is occupied,We always wait till dark,trim branches that are in the way and soak a cotton ball in starting fluid,place it in a trash bag and bag the nest before they can come out. This nest has a lot of branches so I would put a little gas in a sprayer and hit the entrance and torch it real fast.
In the future,if you find one in winter you can stuff a soaked cotton ball into the entrance and cut it out of the tree and take it inside in a garbage bag. The rise n temperature will bring them out of dormancy and kill them.

Wade


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

sounds like a good way to start a wild fire in a drought stricken area. Use the dish soap won't start a rfire.

 Al


----------



## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

1shotwade said:


> This nest looks abandon! Have you actually seen the hornets on or in the nest? Very few survive the winter because they are a major food source for birds,but,birds normally tear up the nest much more.
> As for getting rid of them,if the nest is occupied,We always wait till dark,trim branches that are in the way and soak a cotton ball in starting fluid,place it in a trash bag and bag the nest before they can come out. This nest has a lot of branches so I would put a little gas in a sprayer and hit the entrance and torch it real fast.
> In the future,if you find one in winter you can stuff a soaked cotton ball into the entrance and cut it out of the tree and take it inside in a garbage bag. The rise n temperature will bring them out of dormancy and kill them.
> 
> Wade


+ + + + + + + + +
turn into 'live' adult hornets!!!


----------



## 1shotwade (Jul 9, 2013)

copperkid3 said:


> + + + + + + + + +
> turn into 'live' adult hornets!!!


Whow! that was neat! I didn't know I could "expand the pix! Thanks!Anyway,what I thought was holes in the nest is some type insect. They really don't look like the "boldface hornet" we have around here.We are not in a drought and the pix seems to have a lot of green so didn't consider the fire danger.

Wade


----------



## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

i'd get the hornet killer spray that shoots up to 25 feet away and blast em . with extreme caution !!!


----------



## Miss Kay (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks everyone. We are in south Texas about 20 miles north of Brownsville. We did get a rain recently but that won't last long. Yes, if you blow up the picture you can see that thing is crawling alive with hornets. I did some on line research and I think I will try to get an exterminator. My husband said he could get them but I don't want him to try. I'm surprised they have not attacked our animals that graze right next to them. Our farm helper thought they were bees and said it would be full of honey. I hope he learns from this so he never tries to get honey out of a hornet's next! I'll let you know how it goes.


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

All wasp and hornets have a beneficial value. Most won't bother you unless you go to messing with their home. the one exception that I call the terrorist of the stinging insect world is the yellow Jacket, I've also read the AHB are touchy to vibrations too.

 Al


----------



## BeeFree (Feb 23, 2004)

It does look like a hornets nest, but here in MO. our hornets are black with a white ring around them. The ones in this picture looks more similar to a very large bee. 

I would probably put a bee suit on and go out of the late evening, and spray or douse it with a very heavy wasp, hornet spray. Maybe even spray the nest with gas.


----------



## swamp man (Dec 25, 2005)

Hornets. A few lessons I learned during childhood...A thrown apple or a bean pole won't take out the nest, and you can't outrun hornets on a bicycle. I'm not an entomologist, but I'd throw a bucket of diesel at it, and run like the devil. I'm assuming that like most of us, you don't have a "bee suit" handy.


----------



## Brighton (Apr 14, 2013)

1shotwade said:


> Whow! that was neat! I didn't know I could "expand the pix! Thanks!Anyway,what I thought was holes in the nest is some type insect. They really don't look like the "boldface hornet" we have around here.We are not in a drought and the pix seems to have a lot of green so didn't consider the fire danger.
> 
> Wade


Their actual name, outside of their entomological name is Bald-faced Hornet, just so you know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bald-faced_hornet


----------



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Just can't under stand every ones desire to set stuff on fire when there is so many safer ways. No wonder there are so many wild fire out west every year, bunch of fire bugs. Which at this point is probably gone any way.

 Al


----------



## Miss Kay (Mar 31, 2012)

Actually it turned out it was not a hornet at all. They are Mexican Honey Wasps and are not dangerous at all. We had some beekeepers come and take the nest to be placed in the wild. 

http://www.texasento.net/Brachygastra.htm


----------



## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

good for you Miss Kay .


----------



## homemaid (Apr 26, 2011)

Great Save!!


----------

