How to deal with Wasps and Hornets

troverman · Jul 23, 2019

So I’m mowing a field and all of a sudden I’ve got hornets on the tractor hood and then they land on the steering wheel. Only 3 of them, but now I can’t steer. I had just backed into some trees a few minutes earlier. I suspect I bumped a nest but can’t see it.

This field is being mowed as a job, so I need to get it done. What should I do? For now I’m away from that area...shut the tractor off and retreated, sitting in my truck. The hornets didn’t seem overly aggressive. I’m thinking running to the store and getting RAID and hitting any of them on my tractor.

Thoughts?

JohnDB · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

Get a bee-keeper's suit. I dunno how nasty the hornets are in your part of the woods, but if they worry you enough that you need the safety of your truck, I doubt that Raid will do the trick.

JohnDB · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

Plus 'a friend' reckons those suits look pretty sexy on the right body, so it could be multipurpose addition to your wardrobe of amusement devices

Bmyers · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

My solution was to have a cab.

Since you don't have a cab, the next solution is to avoid the area where the hornets are.

Since you have to work in the area where the hornets area, that leads to either killing the nest or to the option the others have suggested, buying protective clothing.

I have had the best luck with eradicating nest at night verses facing them during the daylight hours.

jpf · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

first thing in morning most will be inside except the guards.
find the entrance, [ don't do much good to spray the back side].
arm up with heavy clothes & head nets and a can of wasp spray in both hands.
start shooting from as close as you can get without alarming guards.
don't stop till both cans are empty, aim right at the entrance point.
worked for me but, you are on your own if you try this, could get you stung, multiple times!!!!!!!

ipz2222 · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

crc brakcleen spray can at auto zone is the best and fastest killer. I buy that stuff by the case in the spring, wife hates bumblebees.

skeets · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

Now first off are they BEEs or GROUND BEEs ie YELLOW JACKETS, Hornets or wasps,, you need to know these things. Yes there are differences between each. Ground dwellers are fairly easy to deal with. You need to be stealthy though for any of them, Find the entrance in the ground and mark it, then get a beer bottle, empty of course, fill with gasoline and stuff it in the hole so the gas runs out then walk away, do not light it just let it soak in. The vapors replace the oxygen and kill them,, remove the bottle before you mow again.

NOW IF THEY BE HONEY BEEs walk away and leave them be, right now there is a lot of die off of honey bees in the US due to parasites and disease, and the AG sector is scrambling to figure it out. SO if it is honey bees then odds are they have developed a resist and to said issues and need to be left alone to breed.

Wasps and hornet nests are a little more interesting. Again be sneaky and look around the brush from head high on up, they will be many time hidden in the leaves so watch where you go. Again in the dusk you can spray them heavy and try to shoot the spray in the entrance to the nest.

However unless any of these are an issue it is best to leave them alone as each one has a niche to fill in nature keeping other little nastys away from your crops and garden and pollinating your plants.

So end this mornings gospel according to Saint Skeets

12251hd · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

While bush hogging, the ROPs knocked a hornets nest loose and it landed on the bush hog. They owned that tractor for a while. PB blaster recovered my honor.

rjcorazza · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

My thoughts are that with only 3 hornets on the tractor, and not overly aggressive you didn't actually disturb their nest. The next pass or few feet could be a different story.
For both above and below ground nests I generally use a fine dust with diatomaceous earth and a pesticide mixed in. I puff the nest and it does not bother the hornets for the first 30 seconds or so, which allows me to walk away. As mentioned, best to go after them at night or very early.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

troverman · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

Thanks guys. By the time I retreated from the tractor, there were several hornets up in the canopy of the tractor, three on the steering wheel, one on the instrument cluster, and a couple more on the hood. They were starting to increase fairly quickly in number; I was only wearing a t-shirt, and with three on the steering wheel there was no way I could operate the tractor. My understanding of white-striped hornets is that they are the most aggressive of the wasp family and sting with very little provocation, so my inclination was not to swat them away. I also don't like bees landing on me. My understanding also is that if you kill a wasp by smacking it, the pheromones in the abdomen release an alarm signal scent, and if within range of the hive, you can get swarmed.

In the end, I drove away from the site, bought a can of wasp spray, returned, and found only a couple buzzing around the canopy. I waited until they cleared, and now wearing gloves proceeded to start the tractor and move to another area. In moving, one landed on the loader arm and I did spray that one. Once moved away, I didn't have another problem. Further, I mowed again yesterday in that original area, with my employee on a second tractor, and neither of us encountered bees. I think I disturbed them in some way the day before.

Last fall, I had a problem with yellow jackets being overly aggressive. Probably 5-10 of them, and they would land on me and the tractor. I moved well away (400 feet) and they continued to harass me. I ended up leaving the job site that day, and on a cooler day I returned and they weren't around. I understand yellow jackets that are male die off in the fall at the first major frost, and are particularly aggressive during this time, looking for food. I've also read they are attracted to bright, warm colors such as orange and yellow. Perhaps an orange tractor is a bee magnet, I dunno.

I have contemplated a beekeeper's suit, but it would be awfully warm in the summer. Better than being stung I guess.

When I bought my MX, I strongly contemplated a Grand L series with a cab but since I operate on steep side hills I was paranoid the cab would raise the COG enough to be an issue, so I went with another open platform. Sometimes I regret that.

Anyway, I appreciate the responses and now all that's left at this particular job site is trimming fencelines and pond shores. Should be good.

SidecarFlip · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

Had a nest of jackets in the ground by the barn. They are nasty. Took my gas powered push mower, started it (with a full tank of gas) and parked it over the entrance and let it run until it ran out of gas. It 'whipped, chopped and pureed them for me.

Not too bad this year and I agree, spray brake cleaner drops them right now (bumblebees and wasps / hornets). Instant death and it's cheaper than Raid.

troverman · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

I hadn't heard of the brake cleaner method. Bumble bees don't bother me in the least - they aren't aggressive and tend to put up with a fair amount of disturbance before they might sting you. And they are pollinators.

SidecarFlip · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

troverman said:
I hadn't heard of the brake cleaner method. Bumble bees don't bother me in the least - they aren't aggressive and tend to put up with a fair amount of disturbance before they might sting you. And they are pollinators.

Wood boring bumble bees have a sub division in the rafters of my equipment shed, I don't bother them but I find it interesting how they bore nice round holes... They are clumsy and it's also amazing they can fly as big as they are and the small wingspan.

Barn swallows and bumble's love the shed. The barn swallows keep the skeeters in control. Bumble's well, don't know if they do anything beneficial other than pollinate. My alfalfa field is right behind the shed so they don't have to go very far...

Don't like yellow jackets, wasps or mud dobbers. Brake clean them all.

Freeheeler · Jul 25, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

I have use foaming engine degreaser for when they are in flight. It's hard to hit them directly with brake cleaner, but the degreaser is a broad spray and when it hits them it foams, they can't fly with foam and drop to the ground where my footwear does the rest. If they are nicely sitting in/on the hive, brake cleaner is great.
For the carpenter bees, a tennis racket makes for a strangely satisfying "thud".

nickelplated5s · Jul 26, 2019

Pressure washer. Paper wasps are the worst and for some reason they go for the back of your neck. Ground hornets, AKA meat bees, are bad too if you step on the nest. My elbow still remembers where they got my last year.

mikester · Jul 27, 2019

Re: How to deal with bees

ipz2222 said:
crc brakcleen spray can at auto zone is the best and fastest killer. I buy that stuff by the case in the spring, wife hates bumblebees.

Try using isopropyl or rubbing alcohol as an alternative bee/wasp killer spray. Get at least 70%. it’s cheap cheap and less nasty to you than the stuff in brake cleaner and nerve agent insecticides. Put it in a dollar store sprayer. It will kill wasps and bees instantly and they fall out of the air when they get sprayed.

On the negative side it’s very flammable. Avoid breathing in the mist and getting it on your skin.

D2Cat · Jul 27, 2019

Those wood bees bore a nice round hole, but then they go horizontal into the wood. They can damage wood similar to termites because they can travel long distance inside the wood.

ipz2222 · Jul 27, 2019

mikester,, alcohol,,, not on these wasps around here!! I had never tried that but I noticed a nest in one of my carports. Got some 90 percent alcohol and put in the spray bottle, let them have it. Did not kill a single one. Came back 2 hours later and hit them with the crc brakeclean,,, all dead in 3 seconds.

JohnDB · Jul 27, 2019

Must try the Brakleen trick, thanks. We have a lot of paper wasps here in the summer, slow to anger but very unpleasant sting. Normally spray petrol at them which it pretty quick (also good for putting down yellow-jacket wasp nests) but anything that works quicker is worth trying.

As an aside: I know of 2 people who got badly stung when going to tend beehives. In each case the bees attacked whereas they were normally pretty docile. In both cases the people had been drinking beer or spirits mix. So I wonder the bees - or potentially other stinging critters - are attracted to alcohol. Anyone else hear of something similar? If so maybe the moral of the story is don't rely on dutch courage before going out to dispose of wasp/hornet nests

I'm not saying spraying the critters with alcohol doesn't work, I've never tried it.

BravoXray · Jul 28, 2019

Many years ago repairing rooftop commercial air conditioning units there would often be hives in the equipment. We figured out that hitting them with liquid Freon froze them good. Nowadays that is unlawful venting, but being trapped on a roof leaves few choices.

How to deal with Wasps and Hornets

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