OT: wasps

woodbutcher · May 25, 2013

After baling the meadow 200 ft. behind my house, the young man operating the baler told me he hit a nest of some kind of large, black wasp. He said there were a lot of them, and they hit the windows all around the cab of the tractor trying to get to him. We are in northeast Texas, and I grew up cutting and baling hay. I've run through many bumblebee nests, usually with a cutter. I have been stung, but they are usually pretty slow-moving. He made it sound like these came up out of the ground in a hurry, and he said they were all black, no yellow. Is there a black wasp that nests in the ground? How can I get rid of them safely?
Butch

tg in VA · May 25, 2013

For yellow jackets, I find the hole, wait until dusk/dark and pour some gasoline in the hole...kills not only those in the nest but also any errant yellow jackets returning to the nest...this would probably work for your black wasps.

circus · May 25, 2013

If you do attack the wasps at night make sure it"s cold out. Don"t ask how I know.

Stephen Newell · May 25, 2013

I live near Dallas and have never encountered any wasps on the ground. The only black wasps I have on my place normally make a nest under the roof and are pretty unagressive. You can knock one of their nest down and they might buzz around you but that is all. It's the red ones that get aggresive. You can just walk near one of their nests and they will come after you. There is another darker red wasp that makes nest in the trees about 8" to 10" in diameter in the trees. They are almost black but are pretty unaggresive too. My wife can't stand any wasp so I normally have to shoot the ones down near the house down with a shotgun. I don't have to run from them either.

I suspect if they have been mowed over they will leave on their own. I don't think you will have to do anything about them.

woodbutcher · May 25, 2013

Thanks to all for the replies. I doubt that there will be any more cool nights until October here. I have doused wasp nests with gasoline back when it was a lot cheaper. I may have to use it on these.
Butch

Richard G. · May 25, 2013

Sounds like ground hornets. Black and very aggressive.
Richard

js305 · May 25, 2013

I had a similar experience with what sounds like the same thing. I had a roll of chain link fencing that was laying on the ground with vines growing up through it. I started to move it and these things exploded all around me. I wasn't stung but they were really aggressive and swarmed for over an hour after leaving them alone. When I tried to approach the roll they came out again. I couldn't tell at the time if they were on a nest or in the ground underneath.

I took a can of gas and pitched it at the whole roll of wire and it seemed to slow them down. Late at night they were still flying around. I didn't want to burn the wire. I got a long chain and got a hook in the wire and pulled it off and found they were all coming out of a hole in the ground that was about an inch in diameter. A long piece of pipe and a slow trickle of gas finally took care of them. They were the size of small bumble bees but all black and really fast.

Ken-Pa · May 25, 2013

Here in Pa. we call those black stingers "Mud Wasps" . They seem to build there mud nests in holes & crevices or around wiring of my tractors, implements , lawn tractor & inside electric service panels . And I'm positive they are large black wasps since I squashed them + eggs . It seems to take a little more spray to kill them than others . Using gasoline out in that fresh cut field isn't a good idea . Maybe pouring lots of old used oil down that hole at nite would do the job . If you could get some of that chemical used by exterminators ? I did that to some ground yellow jackets once . Also I heard about a guy that drove his lawn tractor close to the hole at night , hooked a hose to the exhaust than down the hole while wrapping a large rag around the hose sealing off the hole . Then started his tractor , let it run until the gas ran out . I heard it worked but I'd be very cautious going back for the tractor . God bless, Ken

Wile E · May 25, 2013

You have to find the nest and then burn them out or do what I did one time which is to pour old paint down the hole, actually worked well. The paint was left over from painting my boys bedroom, A medium blue that was going to go in the garbage anyway. But, I found a use for it.

I do know that brake cleaner in the spray can works instantly.

smallercrawler · May 25, 2013

Was swarmed by ground dwelling bees similar to them a couple of years ago. Made it to truck and luckily only had a few stings. Went to Lowes and got several cans of Wasp killer and drenched the whole nest from the safety of the truck. Within a few days, they had moved on. Dr. suggested keeping a couple of "epi-pens" on hand as a precaution against adverse reaction.

jeffcat · May 25, 2013

OH WOW!!!! You want to mess with ground bees. They are tiny and live in the ground with a tiny hole. BOY do they ever get Pi--s-sed off when you bother them. If I get stung I blow up like a ballon. Reaction to the toxin. At night when it is COLD ... pour gas down hole or cans of wasp killer.As far as I know all wasps and bees settle in for the night and they need something like 68 degree weather to fly.

OT: wasps

woodbutcher

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tg in VA

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circus

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Stephen Newell

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woodbutcher

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Richard G.

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js305

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Ken-Pa

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Wile E

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smallercrawler

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jeffcat

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