What to do with BEES on my Treestand?

[B-man715]

I was out checking on stands yesterday. One of my ladder stands has a large hive of those black and white bees/hornets on it.

Anybody have any ideas on how to get rid of them, without using unnatural chemicals that may alert the deer?

(and nothing too brave, I have had some reactions before.)

Thanks

[harvey lee]

Wasp killer. Rain and wind will dissipate the smell in a few days. Then no critters hunting with you.

Those buggers are nasty.

[RumRiverRat]

Wrap them in Bacon and deep fry them?

[Phred52]

B-man715, If you're not allergic to bee venom, I have, in the past successfully beat the bees with a bottle torch. Just DON'T make any fast moves and you should be okay. I have beat 3 queens (for good or bad.... IDK) But when I was done....So were they!!! For the ground hornets, I give them a dose of gasoline and a 10PM departure time!! Only been stung once, system must work! If those plans don't sit well with you, try some of the commercial sprays that are available, my folks have used them, only until I got up to the cabin to take care of the 'nest'. Phred52

[Surface Tension]

Hornet/Wasp killer at night. Stand on the ground but not directly under the nest and spray. You won't get stung and all the wasps will be in the hive.

[leech~~]

Get a long stick, knock the nest down and run like "H*ll" Once it's on the ground they will leave it in a few days!

[ironman]

I have also heard if you go in at night with a paper grocery bag and "bag it" from underneath then close tight around where its connected and close off/tie off then toss into a fire or where ever. I have not attempted this, but it sounds plausible. I got tagged by one of these nasties this summer mowing the lawn I bumped into a small pine tree and was unaware that the nest was in there. Far and away the most painful sting I've recieved. No pressure.

[sparkydm]

If its one of those big roundish paper nests with one entrance/exit hole, wait till dark and spray into the hole with hornet killer. If you don't want to use spray you can use a can of Great Stuff. Any that try to escape to kill you will be coated with the goo. I have done this. It is very satisfying.

[MNmikew]

I used a 20 ga. shotgun on one near my cabin yesterday with great results.

[flipper]

There is a shortage of natural polinators in out state.

Save the BEES!

If you don't bother them, they won't bother you.

[leech~~]

Hey good idea flip, call a Bee Keeper and see if he wants to go way out in the woods and save them! If he doesn't or you just don't want to show him your hunting hot spot! Long stick or 12 Gage sounds like the plan!

[WaitForIt]

Bald-faced hornets (black hornets) are not pollinators - feel free to blast / spray away.

[Bear55]

Get a long stick, knock the nest down and run like "H*ll" Once it's on the ground they will leave it in a few days!

This is my usual method, haven't been stung yet. I prefer to use an old hockey stick, the blade works really well at detaching the nest. Then drop the stick and run run run, you get an instant shot of adrenalin and move a little faster when you hear the crazy pi$$ed off buzzing behind you.

[Jmnhunter]

Originally Posted By: leech~~

Get a long stick, knock the nest down and run like "H*ll" Once it's on the ground they will leave it in a few days!

This is my usual method, haven't been stung yet. I prefer to use an old hockey stick, the blade works really well at detaching the nest. Then drop the stick and run run run, you get an instant shot of adrenalin and move a little faster when you hear the cray pi$$ed off buzzing behind you.

yeah i bet!! that would be a nice little rush!

[flipper]

This is from the University of Iowa,

By Donald Lewis, Department of Entomology

Balfaced hornets are large social wasps that construct oblong to round nests in trees during the course of the summer. The nests start small with a single queen in early summer. As the queen reproduces and as her daughter-workers enlarge the nest and the colony, the population grows to a few hundred individuals and the nest grows to the size of a basketball. Nests are usually attached to a tree branch but may be attached to shrubs, utility poles or house siding.

Baldfaced hornets are ecologically beneficial and often co-exist with people for the entire summer without incident. Hornets are not overly aggressive and high nests in out-of-the-way locations can be ignored until frost when the residents all start to freeze to death or die of old age. All the wasps are gone from the nest after a few hard freezes.

A nest in a high traffic area or low to the ground, or a nest in the vicinity of curious thrill seekers who can't stay away should be eliminated to prevent the slight chance of being stung. This can be done at night by spraying a wasp and hornet aerosol insecticide (the kind that shoots insecticide 10+ feet) into the nest opening at night. There is more information on our web site.

If you are interested in saving a hornets' nest as a decoration or conversation piece see the on-line article, "Preserving and Displaying a Hornet's Nest."

By the way I am not a PETA bughugger but try to remember you are the invader of their back yard not the other way around. The idea that wildlife is to be destroyed if it doesn't suit our immediate wants is what has destroyed a lot of the wildlife in our area.

[leech~~]

Did we miss the Polinator part? It did say they build nests on power poles and house siding? Those don't sound like wildlife areas? Humm I'm

[flipper]

leech ok how bout we make a little wager, say $10,000, on whether or not they are polinators? Put your money up and we'll research it.

[leech~~]

Hey flip, if I had that kind of money I'd buy a new Ice Casle! I have heard of the shortage of Bee's and do agree with you. Just given ya a little load back. we need to co-exist with all things!

[flipper]

Well, that's just what I wanted to do with the money too. Take er easy leech

[WaitForIt]

They aren't pollinators in the same way that ants are not pollinators.

That is not to say that a black hornet will NEVER pollinate a flower - but they do not routinely seek flowers for food and therefore are not major pollinators.

I am not arguing for destroying them either. Just stating that if you need to use your start and there are black hornets nesting they have got to go, and you don't have to feel bad because you killed 'good bees'.

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

[leech~~]

You mean I could have gotten a new Ice Castle from fipper on a bet! Man I should looked that up first!

[flipper]

Too funny.

I said they were polinators not to what extent. I personally would put their polinating prowess way above that of ants. They are just another cog in the gears that try to keep things in balance.

My main point is that we should try to live in harmony with just about every natural thing out in the woods. Some sportsmen seem to be on a search and destroy mission out there. If we get a good frost those wasps will relocate, as they don't overwinter in their hive.

If you have to waste them to hunt in your stand so be it.