Destroying hornets and their nest with household chemicals?

[Lummy]

They're back again this year all the sudden, this time nesting under the concrete slab comprising my front porch. I don't think they've been there long but there sure are a lot of them. I have gotten several stings from the nasty little buggers since I discovered them yesterday.

Last night while they were quiet and mostly in their hole under or beside the concrete (not quite ready to pull the grass up to precisely locate them), except for one in my shirt that stung me in the back, I poured about 3 gallons of soapy, boiling vinegar-and-water in, on and around their hole. It quieted them down considerably, but no idea how much damage was done to the nest. It did not fully destroyed them or the nest, as they still come and go but with a lot more social distancing.

Keeping in mind that this is outdoors in full open air, here's my question: Since the hole and underground area are still damp from the vinegar bomb I dropped in, if I now, a day later, pour in say, a quart or two of dilute bleach, which will combine with the vinegar-moistened earth to form highly toxic chlorine gas, shouldn't this fumigate the nest and destroy them all? Seems it should.

Also, are there any consequences in doing this to vegetation about which I should be aware? It seems this might do the job and also break down pretty fast with no lasting effects. Any chemists/soil scientists here?

If this worked, it would be the cat's pajamas ... and I'm glad I don't have any pets here now that would make the situation somewhat urgent, I think.

Any ideas about this or about hornets generally are welcome, albeit I'm in the middle of the stream already. In recent years, I have had -- and destroyed -- a lot of them, but this is the first time I've ever been stung.

Please no smart-ass "what a dumb shit" replies because I already know that.

Thanks in advance.

[Calypso Jones]

Are you sure you're dealing with hornets and not ground bees?

[Private Pickle]

I would avoid the chlorine gas thing. Too many points of failure and not worth the risk to health.

If you keep hitting them with water, flooding them out, they will eventually go. Just put the hose in and leave it for 10 minutes every day for 3 or so days.

You could go straight up poison which may be quicker. Just spray a ton in the entrance and it will work it's way in.

[Lummy]

Are you sure you're dealing with hornets and not ground bees?
They don't look like bees, but like wasps. Also, I know they have paper nests. Something under an inch long, not particularly aggressive but can be provoked to attack. I don't know. Sting is mild but effect lasts for days. Some swelling, skin texture is changing -- getting gritty, might be dying, and hot to the touch. Color is classic black and yellow, I'd say like their larger relatives.
I will call them nuisance bees.

I read that chlorine gas is over twice as heavy as air, so that should mean that it will travel easily down and throughout their burrow and/or stay there. Rah!

[jigglepete]

Another job for Diatomaceous Earth?

https://www.diatomaceousearth.com/blogs/learning-center/diatomaceous-earth-natural-wasp-and-hornet-killer

[jigglepete]

Or, if you can locate the entrance, pour molten metal down it, and when it cools and hardens, dig it up and sell it on e-bay as modern art.

[Calypso Jones]

They don't look like bees, but like wasps. Also, I know they have paper nests. Something under an inch long, not particularly aggressive but can be provoked to attack. I don't know. Sting is mild but effect lasts for days. Some swelling, skin texture is changing -- getting gritty, might be dying, and hot to the touch. Color is classic black and yellow, I'd say like their larger relatives.
I will call them nuisance bees.

I read that chlorine gas is over twice as heavy as air, so that should mean that it will travel easily down and throughout their burrow and/or stay there. Rah!

I'm no bee expert but that sound like ground bees. If you had hornets you'd be screaming and calling pest control.

[Calypso Jones]

I use seven maybe 8. I also have a bee guy come in once a year. KrudKutter will kill those little suckers too.

[Lummy]

I'm no bee expert but that sound like ground bees. If you had hornets you'd be screaming and calling pest control.

I believe paper nests distinguish wasps from bees. Wasps are paper nest makers, bees are not. I'm not an expert, however.

[Lummy]

I would avoid the chlorine gas thing. Too many points of failure and not worth the risk to health.

If you keep hitting them with water, flooding them out, they will eventually go. Just put the hose in and leave it for 10 minutes every day for 3 or so days.

You could go straight up poison which may be quicker. Just spray a ton in the entrance and it will work it's way in.


Yeah, I know you can go through a lot of wasp spray trying to kill them. I hope to avoid that. Thanks though.

[jet57]

They're back again this year all the sudden, this time nesting under the concrete slab comprising my front porch. I don't think they've been there long but there sure are a lot of them. I have gotten several stings from the nasty little buggers since I discovered them yesterday.

Last night while they were quiet and mostly in their hole under or beside the concrete (not quite ready to pull the grass up to precisely locate them), except for one in my shirt that stung me in the back, I poured about 3 gallons of soapy, boiling vinegar-and-water in, on and around their hole. It quieted them down considerably, but no idea how much damage was done to the nest. It did not fully destroyed them or the nest, as they still come and go but with a lot more social distancing.

Keeping in mind that this is outdoors in full open air, here's my question: Since the hole and underground area are still damp from the vinegar bomb I dropped in, if I now, a day later, pour in say, a quart or two of dilute bleach, which will combine with the vinegar-moistened earth to form highly toxic chlorine gas, shouldn't this fumigate the nest and destroy them all? Seems it should.

Also, are there any consequences in doing this to vegetation about which I should be aware? It seems this might do the job and also break down pretty fast with no lasting effects. Any chemists/soil scientists here?

If this worked, it would be the cat's pajamas ... and I'm glad I don't have any pets here now that would make the situation somewhat urgent, I think.

Any ideas about this or about hornets generally are welcome, albeit I'm in the middle of the stream already. In recent years, I have had -- and destroyed -- a lot of them, but this is the first time I've ever been stung.

Please no smart-ass "what a dumb $#@!" replies because I already know that.

Thanks in advance.

All ya'gotta do, is get a can of Raid, wait until night time and hit that hole with everything in the can. They'll come out and drop like flies; then hit 'em again.

Creating a chlorine gas is not exactly the smartest thing to do.

[Lummy]

But it's certainly the most interesting ... :thumbsup20:

Maybe I'll come up with a new wasp bomb and retire filthy stinking rich.

[Calypso Jones]

I'm no expert but i think you might want to double check on that ground bee paper nest thing.

[Calypso Jones]

You could just pour gasoline in it and throw in a match.

[Dr. Who]

You could just pour gasoline in it and throw in a match.

That would be a pyrrhic victory. LOL and pun intended. (Pyr is the Greek word for fire).

[Hal Jordan]

That would be a pyrrhic victory. LOL and pun intended. (Pyr is the Greek word for fire).Named after Pyrrhus, whose name means flame-colored.

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk

[Lummy]

You could just pour gasoline in it and throw in a match.

Oh hell yeah. I think that's "Certified Best Practice" or all kinda reasons, ain't it?

[Lummy]

So I just finished pouring another 2 quarts of boiling diluted vinegar in the hole, followed by a quart of diluted bleach. Tomorrow should be better than today. :yepp:

[gamewell45]

If you have access to a co-2 fire extinguisher, stick the nozzle into the hole and discharge it; the result of the discharge will be that it'll freeze the nest and the bees as well within seconds.

[Tahuyaman]

They're back again this year all the sudden, this time nesting under the concrete slab comprising my front porch. I don't think they've been there long but there sure are a lot of them. I have gotten several stings from the nasty little buggers since I discovered them yesterday.

Last night while they were quiet and mostly in their hole under or beside the concrete (not quite ready to pull the grass up to precisely locate them), except for one in my shirt that stung me in the back, I poured about 3 gallons of soapy, boiling vinegar-and-water in, on and around their hole. It quieted them down considerably, but no idea how much damage was done to the nest. It did not fully destroyed them or the nest, as they still come and go but with a lot more social distancing.

Keeping in mind that this is outdoors in full open air, here's my question: Since the hole and underground area are still damp from the vinegar bomb I dropped in, if I now, a day later, pour in say, a quart or two of dilute bleach, which will combine with the vinegar-moistened earth to form highly toxic chlorine gas, shouldn't this fumigate the nest and destroy them all? Seems it should.

Also, are there any consequences in doing this to vegetation about which I should be aware? It seems this might do the job and also break down pretty fast with no lasting effects. Any chemists/soil scientists here?

If this worked, it would be the cat's pajamas ... and I'm glad I don't have any pets here now that would make the situation somewhat urgent, I think.

Any ideas about this or about hornets generally are welcome, albeit I'm in the middle of the stream already. In recent years, I have had -- and destroyed -- a lot of them, but this is the first time I've ever been stung.

Please no smart-ass "what a dumb shit" replies because I already know that.

Thanks in advance.
I put gasoline in a spray bottle and sprayed it on a wasp nest. I then threw a match on it and bolted. It worked.

[Lummy]

Well, it looks like I got them all. I think next time I will start with a lot less diluted bleach and vinegar -- maybe 12 oz of each, and then add another 12/12 oz -- one at a time unmixed -- each following day as needed. It seems to have worked well, albeit the vegetation directly adjacent the hole has been wiped out.

I added a quart of dissolved baking soda to neutralize the vinegar the next day after I was pretty sure the bomb was done working.

Do as you will. This is not best practices, and I'm just telling you what I did. I don't recommend you try this, but dang I'm pleased.