hornet help

[mum5]

nak
i think we have hornets. it started w/ 1, then 2 at the front of our house, but now there areabout 20+ flying around on one patch of ground.
they are pretty big with very distinct yellow and black bands on their abdomen.
any advice?

[MidnightCommando]

Find out what they are for sure
http://www.insectidentification.org/...nd-similar.asp and then go from there. I will not tolerate any wasps/hornets near my property as I am deathly allergic to their stings but will allow good pollinators (honeybees, carpenter bees, etc) to stick around.

Sounds like it it a ground nest which is more difficult to control than one built in the eves or in a tree. If you want to go poison-free, Victor makes good wasp/hornet killer or you can always go with Raid or another product on the market. Do it when it's cool and dark, put a red film over your flashlight (they can't see it) and douse away.

The one ground nest we've had to kill took repeated treatments.

good luck!

ETA: you could always set out traps too. There are a number of commercial varieties that use hormones for attractant or google DIY wasp traps and use meats or sweets as baits depending on what season you are in. HTH!

[HeatherAtHome]

The red light/flashlight seems to work. We found a hornet or wasp nest in our wall when we were doing renovations. We dressed up in layers, went in the room at midnight (when they're sleeping) and doused the nest area with some sort of bug be gone something. Yeah, we went the more toxic route.

Last fall we pulled up a piece of wood that was laying on the ground and found a nest in the ground under it (visible, not hidden). We left it open and the third morning we saw that a skunk or something had come a long and picked it to pieces.

Start googling and you'll find plenty of ways to get rid of them.

[mum5]

thanks all.

I am having a hard time identifying it as either a wasp or a hornet.
I just know that it is pretty big, pretty to look at, but looks like it could give a whopping good sting.