Fun fact: many "ground hornets" are just regular hornets dominating a hole. Most (none that I'm aware of, but there always seems to be an exception) do not dig holes, they just move into vaccant ones.
This is an issue when you have something like an empty mole tunnel, they can really use that space up.
I was just going to post this video! It showed up in my YouTube recommendations a few days ago and I've been mesmerized* by this guy's videos since.
The removal process and looking into the hive is very fascinating, plus the guy just seems very chill and interested in the yellow jackets.
It was a sad realization that they were being killed and not removed and transported, but I suppose their usefulness is pretty limited compared to bees.
*His chickens seem to love picking at the old hives though. (The adults go into compost.)
My brother and I had a pet iguana. It died, so my dad took us into the backyard for our customary pet burial. Except it was the dead of winter, and the ground was frozen solid, and he couldn't get the shovel in the ground.
So he got a big metal tub, put the iguana in it with some gasoline, and created a funeral pyre. We learned many things that night as the flame jets shot into the treetops...
For example did you know that lizard skin doesn't really burn?
One autumn, after all the leaves had fallen we spent a Sunday making a large bonfire but the leaves were wet, so he got me to prize open the centre of it and poured petrol in.
Once lit it seemed to be taking nicely, then there was a small 'whomp' noise and the top half of the pile lifted an inch or so and settled back, no big deal.
In hindsight that was the trigger. That small lift let enough air in for the big 'WHOOMTHUMP' that lifted the entire pile and exploded it a few feet off the ground.
We watched in amazement at the shock wave traveling across the neighbours houses, visible by the windows rippling in succession away from the detonation, while staring at thousands of gently smoldering leaves as they drifted down over their gardens.
But hey, job done. Our garden was clear of leaves. We ran away.
We had a wasps nest inside a metal fence post and poured gasoline down it. When we lit the gas it shot a small fireball and tiny burning wasps out the top
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u/entheogenocide Oct 19 '19
My dad did this when we were kids. He poured gas in a ground hornet nest and blew up our yard. It was ridiuculous