One summer day about 10 years ago I happened across a wonder of nature. It was about the size and shape of a large pear, and it was made of a material that reminded me of fine Asian parchment. From underneath I could see the interior of the pear was a network of ascending tubes about as big around as a pencil.
And the inhabitants were even more impressive than their home: elegant flying assassins about an inch long with faces painted in fierce Kabuki masks of ivory on black.
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The problem with this particular wonder of nature was that it was an early-stage hornet nest hanging from the eaves over my front porch where my 4-year-old daughter played with the little girl from down the block.
It broke my heart to stand in the yard 10 feet away and soak the nest with an aerosol insecticide. But hornets and playing children just don’t mix.
Ken Packard, president of Bugs or Us in Beavercreek, Ohio, and Jeff Teague, operations vice president for Extermital Termite and Pest Control in Dayton, said this is the time of year that hornets can start becoming a dangerous nuisance. Various bee species are also active this time of year. Yellowjacket wasps are also around now, and we’re coming into the time of year when their numbers build up and they can start to cause problems.
“By this time of year hornet nests have built up to a size that people start noticing them,” Teague said. “Sometimes when a kid sees a nest he thinks the cool thing to do is throw a baseball or something at it. That’s how a lot of people get into trouble.”
“The doctors I’ve talked to tell me any sting can be dangerous,” Packard said. “Some people can tolerate stings OK at one time, and then they get stung again and have a bad allergic reaction. It’s nothing to fool around with.”
The Ohio State University Extension Service has a good set of fact sheets on insect pests online at its Ohioline site. Go to ohioline.osu.edu. Click on “Fact Sheets” then scroll down to “Insects & Pests Series.” The extension service says 1 million to 2 million Americans are severely allergic to insect venom, and stings cause about 90 to 100 deaths a year.
According to the extension service, most people who are stung will experience a “local” reaction with redness, pain, swelling and some itching at the sting site. If the reaction progresses quickly to sites other than the sting site or is followed by difficult breathing or choking at the throat, the person is experiencing a “systemic” allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) requiring emergency medical treatment.
If you are stung on the hand and your face begins to swell or hives break out all over your body, this is a serious condition requiring emergency room attention.
That doesn’t mean every bee, wasp and hornet should be exterminated, however. Bees are absolutely vital as plant pollinators, and wasps and hornets often prey on harmful insects such as cornear worms.
In general, if you spot a hornet’s nest 30 feet up in a tree, the best thing to do is to ignore it. As long as the insects are at a height that they aren’t likely to be disturbed by human activity, they’re likely to go about their business without causing any problems.
Hornet and wasp colonies die after a few nights of freezing temperatures each year, and they generally don’t come back to the same nests.
When stinging pests inhabit spots where interaction with humans is likely, however, we have to make decisions on how best to protect ourselves.
Packard and Teague say hornets tend to get more aggressive as winter approaches but must be handled with care no matter what the season. Home improvement and discount stores sell hornet insecticides in aerosol cans designed to shoot from a distance, but the exterminators say it’s often best to leave hornets to professionals because insects may counterattack a sprayer. Unlike honeybees that sting once and die, boldfaced hornets and wasps can sting repeatedly.
If you want to try to spray a hornet’s nest, the best time of day is after sundown when all the insects are bedded down for the night.
Yellowjacket wasps, like hornets, get more aggressive with the cooler temperatures of fall. They tend to be a nuisance because they are attracted to human foods and live in close proximity to people.
Yellowjackets are slimmer and shorter than hornets, and they have yellow markings on their faces and bodies. They live in small openings and often occupy crevices on the exteriors of homes.
To keep yellowjackets out, you can use caulking material to close small openings around your house. Don’t close the “weep” holes found in brick walls, however, as that will cause drainage problems.
Also you should never plug a hole where yellowjackets are already living. Packard and Teague said trapped yellowjackets can chew their way through wallboard and escape to the interior of your house if they can’t get outside.
As with hornets, a serious yellowjacket infestation may need professional attention.
Honeybee swarms tend to be a problem in the spring rather than the summer. But if you suspect bees have invaded the walls of your home, you should contact a local beekeeper or exterminators. Bee colonies behind walls can create serious property damage.
Carpenter bees are also damaging to property, though they aren’t likely to sting. They’re up to about an inch long and have a blue-black sheen. They bore holes in wood and leave coarse sawdust in their wake.
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Several bee species have nests at ground level, and some of them can be aggressive if disturbed. Again, it may be best to err on the side of caution and call in a professional if a large nest is found.