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#166643 February 17th, 2007 at 08:56 PM
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I was on my deck, refilling the birdfeeders, when I turned around to look at the downspout gutter on the corner of the house, as it was making lots of noise, what with the snow/ice melting from the roof today. I NEVER expected to see what I did, on the spotlights next to the spout! sca :rolleyes:

Looks like we're gonna have TONS of bees this summer!!!
Anyone know what kind of bee makes this type of hive???
[Linked Image]

#166644 February 17th, 2007 at 11:34 PM
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OMG Lynne!!!!! sca I'm sure someone will tell you what kind it is I hope I don't see any of those!!! shk

#166645 February 18th, 2007 at 02:10 AM
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Looks like wasps nests to me, Lynne
You should knock it down

#166646 February 18th, 2007 at 02:12 AM
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Unfortunately, this is 3 stories high, and Don doesn't have a ladder that tall! He said he'd try and get it with the power washer when it warms up - if he did it now, it would all freeze!!! shk frown :p

#166647 February 18th, 2007 at 02:27 AM
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I was just gonna say powerwash that baby out of there, but you already said it! laugh

Mark used his new one on a nest up high last year and it knocked it out. thumbup

#166648 February 18th, 2007 at 07:07 AM
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Yeah - do it when it warms up a bit.

We had a hornets nest - it wintered and was still there in early spring - our exterminator wasn't worried about it. He said they don't come back to the same nest.

Funny how they built it around the light fixture.

#166649 February 18th, 2007 at 07:08 AM
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I see a window there - why not just open it up and take the broom to the thing?

#166650 February 18th, 2007 at 07:51 AM
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i'd say it's a wasp nest or maybe hornets...

yes, you need to get rid of it! carly is right, make use of the window that's right there!!

even tho it's winter and they hibernate, i'd still douse the thing with raid wasp/hornet spray before attempting to knock it down!!

#166651 February 18th, 2007 at 02:54 PM
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do bees use the same hive? We have a friend that has a gigantic hive attached to her house and she's left it because it seems to be empty and it looks so cool.

#166652 February 18th, 2007 at 03:04 PM
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From what I know bees will use the same nest (that's how honey farmers get honey every year!) The queen'll laeve with a couple of bees to start a new nest somewhere else and in the spring, a new queen will hatch in the nest. however, wasps on the other hand will not use the same nest, the only safe time to cut open and look at a wasps nest is in the winter because they would be all frozen solid (read it in a magazine) Anyways, I'd just get rid of it cuz I wouldn;d feel comfortable with that thing around the light! laugh laugh laugh Although if you do decide to keep it it will help keep other wasps from building a nest there, wasps are territorial bugs and if they see another nest they won't build one near there themselves

#166653 February 19th, 2007 at 07:18 PM
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Yesterday, on our way out, I was showing the hive to Don. I hadn't seen it from below, the day I found it - saw it from up on the deck - and had NOOOOOOO IDEA it was this HUGE!!!

I was mistaken - it is on the second story, so he said he does have something he can knock it down with, but will wait until it's a little warmer than 20 degrees out!!!

[Linked Image]

#166654 February 27th, 2007 at 03:44 AM
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would they be less active if it was knocked down during real cold weather? just an idea?

#166655 February 27th, 2007 at 01:17 PM
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Yikes! is one way of putting it!

I would be knocking it down as soon as I could. I wouldn't wait for the little stingers to get active during warmer weather...

#166656 February 27th, 2007 at 01:51 PM
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Be careful Lynne and i would get it down from there now too!!!

#166657 February 27th, 2007 at 05:00 PM
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eek oh boy Lynne, be careful! I had a bad bee problem last year and had to have a bee lady come and take them;-)

#166658 February 27th, 2007 at 06:37 PM
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Lynne, while scouring the Web, trying to identify the "bee" that stung me a few days ago, I ran across this...
(not that identifying the nest can make a difference. It's not going to go away by itself!)
Quote
From Ohio State University Extension :
The northern or paper wasp is about 3/4 to 1-inch long, slender, narrow waisted with long legs and reddish-orange to dark brown or black in color. There are yellowish markings on the abdomen. Paper-like nests, shaped like tiny umbrellas, are suspended by a short stem attached to eaves, window frames, porch ceilings, attic rafters, etc. Each nest consists of a horizontal layer or "tier" of circular comb of hexagonal cells not enclosed by a paper-like envelope. The ends of the cells are open with the heads of the larvae exposed to view.
While according to Master Gardener's, "some species of wasps parasitize (live on or in a host as a parasite) a variety of insects such as caterpillars, beetle larvae, aphids, flies and hornworms"... I don't think (ESPECIALLY AFTER HAVING JUST BEEN STUNG), that their good outweighs the potential bad in your case.

Wasps love our house for some reason, & we're forever pressure hosing their nests from under our eaves & under the rim of our hot tub. We used a wasp & hornet spray once, during a time of high infestation, which broadcasts a wide, foggy chemical where it's aimed, & takes care of the problem... BUT, I've always wondered if those high wasp populations coincide with high populations of the bad, plant-destroying bugs! Duh

These Hymenoptera (suborder) insects are docile at night & during the winter, & their nests can be knocked/scraped off (you might have to touch up the paint where the nest was attached), allowing the occupants to relocate & continue their work.

Time for a judgment call, eh? Either way, I think you should get the nest off your house, as it's not very decorative, & TRUST ME ON THIS... you don't want to get stung!

I'll add this as a warning: Please be careful & don't grab at something without knowing what your hand is going to land on! [Linked Image] (Paranoia might just be a good thing!) sca

#166659 February 27th, 2007 at 07:21 PM
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you really do need to get rid of it before the weather warms up...

wasps do not die when they sting...they can sting repeatedly and it's very likely that whoever is stung will have an allergic reation. stings from these insects (wasps or bees) can cause anaphalactic shock (think i spelled it correctly) so it's not something to mess around with!!

#166660 February 28th, 2007 at 04:13 PM
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A second to the "knock that thing down" vote. SOMEONE in our neighborhood has a wasp infestation, and the last 2 summers, our yard has been swarming with them- we literally can't let the kids play in the back yard. I got stung by one 2 years ago, and it was EXCRUCIATING, for about 15 minutes all I could do was sit on the floor and cry. It was painful and swolen for about a week, and left an itchy, angry purple bruise about 3" in diameter.

#166661 February 28th, 2007 at 05:08 PM
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Thanks all - that is the plan - to knock it down before it gets all active in there... just as soon as Don finds a few minutes to do just that when he's not working or it's not snowing out, or nighttime, etc...

but that IS the plan! thumbup flw

Some of you remember that horrendous sting I got last summer in the same area - my "sting and almost knight" thread - I know all too well the pain and allergic reaction - that's why I am not going to be the one to get rid of this nest! Nor be anywhere outside when Don does! frown :p shk

#166662 February 28th, 2007 at 06:02 PM
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spray it with the wasp/hornet stuff first - really douse the whole nest. then let it sit overnight to be sure everything is out of it and/or dead and then knock it down.


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