Hornet's nest
Posted by Jerry Holloway on August 15, 2005
Q: I have a beautiful hornet's nest in a tree next to my house I would like to perserve and display. How can I safely remove it from the tree and make sure the hornet's are gone first?
State: South Carolina
A: There's no problem retrieving your hornet's nest as long as you do it when the "residents" are gone! Once we've had a good hard freeze, this is simplier in the north, all of the workers and males will be dead and only the queens will still be alive. The queens however, will leave in the fall, overwinter, and then start their own nest from scratch in the spring. I'd wait until well into winter before messing with the nest but if you don't see ANY activity in Janurary or February, you can drop the nest (to be on the safe side, I'd do it on a cold night) and leave it alone for a day or two so you're sure no one is home.
If you want to open the nest once you're sure it's empty you'll find it quite interesting to see how the hornets have constructed the inside. Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( August 16, 2005)