EUROPEAN HORNET CONTROL

    This article is about EUROPEAN HORNET control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   European Hornets are one of the only "real" hornets
we have in the United States. They are large, intimidating
and can sting. When nests are located close to your
home the chance of conflict is heightened; when nests
are located in the home the chance of conflict is
inevitable. This article will detail some basic
biology of this insect and then offer methods
on how you can control local infestations.
   European Hornets, like other European Species of
insects, made their way over to North America on trade
ships and other vessels. Once in the America's most
of these insects found a world where they could
easily thrive. European Hornets were first noted in the
early 1800's, in the northeastern region of the
United States. Now they can be found in most every
state east of the Mississippi and several states further
west as well.
   European hornets look exactly like Cicada Killers though 
they are more closely related to Yellow Jackets. European
hornets are large - commonly found 1.5 to 2.0 inches 
long - and can fly quickly. It is hard to tell them
apart from cicada killers and only a trained eye can
do so easily. However, this is where the similarities
end. Unlike cicada killers which are solitary and
prey mostly on cicada's, European Hornets will prey
on many types of insects, both alive and dead, and
are attracted to several sweet items as well. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO OF EUROPEAN HORNETS

European hornets will readily eat fruit and honeydew. 
This characteristic is why they are more like yellow 
jackets; furthermore, their nests are generally large 
and contain hundreds if not thousands of occupants just
like yellow jackets. Nests start in the spring when
females lay eggs which hatch in a few weeks. This
first generation goes to work immediately building
a nest as the queen does nothing but lay eggs.
By late July and August the nest will be built and
most attention at that time will be spent accumulating
food. 
   Nests can be located anywhere. Such locations include
tree nooks and hollows, under the siding of houses
and in attics or crawl spaces. They typically like
to find a space which will provide protection from the
sun and rain. This space should be able to fit a 
football to medicine ball sized paper nest. Though
the nest is constructed of this material which looks
much like a paper wasp or bald faced hornet nest,
European Hornets don't like to have any of it
exposed. They prefer the body of the nest to
be hidden inside the void or cavity where they
chose to construct it.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO OF A TYPICAL NEST LOCATION

   European Hornets will travel great distances for
food. As the nest grows through the summer, so to
do the occupants. Once eggs hatch worker and scout
hornets will forage for insect prey, carrion and
sweet food like honeydew. Unlike most predatory wasps
which are solitary, European Hornets will hunt in
groups. They may identify a target insect they
want which is bountiful and focus on it for a day or
two harvesting as much of it as they can get. Prey
is brought back to the nest and either consumed or
stored for developing young. To satisfy the need for
sweet nutrients, they may target well ripened fruit
or honeydew. Unlike yellow jackets or ants which can
harvest honeydew from plants, European Hornets require
big quantities and will go to great lengths when 
finding a good supply. Like yellow jackets, they can
"chew" through wood quite easily and will use this
ability to strip bark from trees in an effort to
harvest sap. This is called "girdling" and can kill
targeted trees or shrubs. 
   European hornets become a problem around the home
when their presence is noticed. If you are noticing
them on your property, there is either a nest close
by or they are coming to feed on something you have
which they want. The next section of this article will
explain what to expect given either of these two
conditions and then offer control methods if you 
decide you don't want them around.
   
 WHAT TO DO WHEN ACTIVITY IS TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT...
   
   European hornets can be a nuisance around the home
even if nests are located far off your property. There
are several behaviors which homeowners will note
that are the problem. First, when the hornets are found
"girdling" favorite trees or bushes. This behavior
looks innocent enough but can lead to tree or shrub
death. Since the sap seems to be sweeter in trees or
bushes which produce lovely flowers, expect such plants
to be a prime target. Lilac and rose bushes are favorites
and once they are tapped expect more hornets to focus
in on the available sap. This can lead to plant damage -
especially during the warm season - if the plant is
already under stress. The cuts in bark or stems will
cause the plant to "bleed" sap which the hornets will
readily harvest. It is not uncommon to see several
hornets landing at one time to feed. If you have this
happening and want to stop it, the use of a product
we sell for Carpenter Ants seems to work well. This
is a bait which uses honeydew as the attractant.
HONEYDEW GEL can be applied directly on the tree or
shrub where you see the girdle marks. Simply apply
small amounts in the grooves. It doesn't take much;
they will suck it up and bring it back to the nest.
It takes a few days for the product to work it's
way into the nest. Once it does, there are two
things that will happen. If enough was consumed,
it will kill the nest. If not, several of the
hornets will get sick or die which will alert
the nest. It will then forgo or ignore your tree
altogether as a bait shyness will be created.
Regardless, they will find another food supply and
leave your plant alone.
   The second behavior commonly noted around the home
is when you find the hornets flying around lights
at night. This is most common at lights which are
adjacent to doors but can occur by spot lights, lamp
posts or deck lights. Low voltage lighting is 
either too low to the ground or not bright enough
so is generally ignored. European hornets are night
time flyers and feeders and the light represents
daylight to them. Knowing that it is easier to forage
for food with light present, they will try to fly
"into" the light expecting to get somewhere that
they will be able to see better. There are four things
that can be done for this. First, you can tack large
GLUEBOARDS on the siding of the home where they are
active. Place 4 around the light so that the glue
will "catch" these annoying and frightening night
time flyers. Expect to have a few nights where
they are active and get caught; once you have
removed the ones flying in these patterns you
won't have many more around. Since most nests
have scouts designated to certain areas, removing
the ones in the area around your light will remove
them altogether. In some cases they may return in
a few weeks at which time you will have to set some
more boards out. The second approach is the use of
a special type insect killing light. Most lighted
bug killers rely on electricity to "electrocute"
moths and other night time flying pests. However,
these models aren't strong enough to kill European
Hornets. If you want to use a light trap to stop
them from flying around your home, you'll need
one of the models which works with a mechanical
action. The 12 VOLT LIGHT TRAP can do this job
effectively. It's powered with any 12 volt deep
cycle marine type battery (the kind you would
use for trolling motors on fishing boats). These
lights feature a spinning "fan" of wire that will
cut up any pest which is attracted to the light.
To use this trap effectively, you'll need to turn
off all the outside lights where you have seen
the most activity. Hang the 12 Volt Light Trap up
at least 6 feet high, power it on and let it go
to work. It's best to let it run for 1-2 weeks
at night during which time it will be killing off
all the scout European Hornets in the area. Over
the course of the summer you may need to hook it
back up and turn it on periodically as new scouts
forage in area. Of course, you may opt to set the
trap out in an area away from the home and just 
let it run every night. By keeping it active you'll
be keeping the local Hornet population in check
and stop them from finding your home. If you have
a an outdoor power outlet, you may opt to use the
110 VOLT LIGHT TRAP instead. It works the same
way but uses regular AC power.  Just plug it in and
it will power on and start working. The third approach you 
can try is to spray or paint a concentrate we sell which
is very active on wasps. CYPERMETHRIN can be be
applied on and around the light fixture. It is
best to make the mixture stronger than normal
which enables it to work faster as well as repel
them better. Expect to retreat every week until
they move away altogether. The fourth approach
and the least effective way to minimize these
nuisance hornets is to keep a can of HORNET FREEZE
close by and ready to spray. This formulation is much
stronger then any store bought type and will quickly
knock them down as they come around and buzz by the
light. It has a long range - up to about 20 feet - 
and will drop them on contact. It works well for
all large bees, wasps and hornets and is handy to
have around when needed during the summer months.
   It is important to realize that all of the methods
listed above may not eliminate local activity altogether.
This is especially true if you have a nest on the home
or immediately adjacent to the house. The only product 
which can do that is the Honeydew Gel. The Cypermethrin, 
Glueboards and Hornet Freeze may only reduce local 
activity which could rebound in a few weeks. One can
never tell just how effective these treatments will
be. Since European Hornets only send out a few "scouts"
whose job is to locate such areas, by killing them
you will certainly be preventing them from instructing
the rest of the nest to go where you don't want them
to be. This approach could prove quite effective
over the course of a season - especially if they 
identify other areas to forage. When this happens,
you may never see them around again. If you suspect
there is a nest close by you will be best served if
it is treated directly. If you have a nest in the home,
it is strongly suggested that you treat it as soon
as possible. This is important for two reasons. First,
these hornets can and do chew. It is not unusual for 
them to find their way into your living area if
you allow them to thrive on outside siding or soffits.
Secondly, for some reason, nests seem to be active in
areas from year to year if left alone. It is suspected
that queens may overwinter close to where they
had a successful nest in the previous year or that
any one nest might have several queens that migrate
out and one may stay behind. Regardless, a nest left
to "die off" during the winter is almost assuredly going
to help contribute to a nest being active in the
same area the following year.
   If you have a nest in the siding of the home, an
overhang, a soffit or some other part of the house,
you will need to treat it directly if you want to prevent
them from being a nuisance and chewing into the living
area. Treatment can be done one of two ways. Like
yellow jackets, European Hornet nests are large. If
the nest gets into a wall void you will be able to hear
them from inside the home. If you can identify just where
the nest is from the inside, you will be able to treat
it from there as well. The best way to do this would be
to identify what you believe to be the center of the
nest. Once you locate the center, you will need to
drill small holes, about 1/8 inch wide, which will
be used for injecting an aerosol. BAYGON AEROSOL works
well for these hornets and it comes with a small
tube, much like the tube found on a can of WD-40. All
you need to do is slide the tube into the holes and
pump for 10-20 seconds per hole. This insures good
coverage. Most nests are about the size of a basketball
so to insure you get complete coverage you will need to
drill several holes. First, locate the center of where
you think the nest is situated. Now move 12 inches to 
the right and make another hole. Move another 12 inches
to the right and make the third hole. Now go back to
the first hole you made and move 12 inches to the left
and make a hole. Move another 12 inches to the left to
make another hole. At this point you should have 5 holes
in a row (parallel to the floor) and spaced 12 inches
apart. Now go back to the first hole and go 12 inches up
and make a hole. Complete a pattern exactly like the first
row you made which will be 5 holes spaced 12 inches apart.
This row should be parallel to the first row and of
equal length located directly above the first row.
Once complete move 12 inches up again and create another
5 holes. At this point you will have 15 holes starting
at the middle of the nest and going up. To complete the
pretreatment process, go back to the first hole you
made and drop down 12 inches. Add the 4 more holes, two
on either side, spaced 12 inches apart. Once that row is
complete drop down another 12 inches and create another
row of 5 holes spaced 12 inches apart. If done properly
you will have a total of 25 holes creating a nice "grid"
through which you will be able to apply the Baygon to
get great coverage regardless of whether or not your first
hole was centered properly. Start treating on the side which
you think is farthest away from their point of entry.
Spray for 10-20 seconds per hole and once all the holes
have been sprayed you can go back and spray some more if
you still hear them making noise. The Baygon will kill
them quickly since it's a fast working contact killer. It's
also a flushing agent which means hornets close by will
sense it and be affected so be sure and treat every
where you see or suspect movement. This "shotgun" approach 
will kill the nest even if you are not exactly sure where 
it is centered.
   In most cases, you will not be able to treat the nest
from inside. Nests will be in soffits, overhang voids or
attic areas. These nests are just as important to treat
but because of their location can make for a tricky 
treatment. This is further complicated because you will
probably have to use a ladder to access the nest as well
as be subject to getting stung. If you decide to attempt
this type of treatment, you will have to use professional
equipment. This will include a BEE VEIL, BEE HAT, BEE SUIT
and BEE GLOVES. Getting properly protected will remove
the risk of getting stung and enable you to treat the nest
without distractions. The other key to treating a
nest located in such areas is the use of a dust. The
Baygon Aerosol used for the inside applications won't
get the needed coverage of a nest which could be located 
far away from the outside entry point. DRIONE DUST  is
best suited for this job. It has physical characteristics
much like smoke and will penetrate the void completely
insuring all parts of the nest are reached. Apply it with
a HAND DUSTER and dust through holes they are using to
enter the nest. Though you may be able to get good coverage
from this hole alone, it is generally best if you drill some
extra holes on each side of the main entrance/exit
hole which are big enough to fit the tip of the duster.
This will allow you to get great coverage over the entire 
area. Keep in mind that without the Bee equipment listed
above you will probably get stung. These hornets are
aggressive when provoked and nothing makes them more
mad then someone poking around their nest! If you have
equipped yourself with the equipment listed above they won't
be able to do anything. Though you will have several
attempting to sting, their efforts will be futile. It
may be a little unnerving to focus in on the task
at hand when you start hearing all the buzzing and
seeing them coming at you from different angles but
you can trust the equipment - it will do it's job!
Be sure to get the needed coverage which means you
will need to puff at least 4-8 ounces of the Drione
dust in the nest. If you are using the large duster,
this will be the entire amount if you fill it up
all the way. I like to use at least that much and
sometimes more if it's a big nest. The great thing
about Drione is that it works so quickly you will
see them dying as you treat. Generally the nest is
shut down within a day or two of the treatment. If you
still have them flying around a week later you will
need to apply more.

   European Hornets are a big nuisance around some
homes. If they are drawing sap from any of your trees
or shrubs, use some of the Honeydew Gel to keep them
away. Spray some Cypermethrin or set up some large
Glueboards if they are landing around outside lights.
Once inside the home, you will need to treat from 
the inside with someBaygon Aerosol if you can; use 
the Drione Dust if you have to treat from the outside. 
Be sure to equip yourself with the proper safety equipment 
since these hornets pack a nasty sting and will get 
very aggressive once you start poking around their
nests. If you have European Hornets on your property
you have several options available for treatment.
Once the problem is identified use the right
treatment if you want to keep them away or kill
their nests.
   
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