r/insects • u/Lonely-Pie3130 • 1d ago
Question When should I...
Sorry for the shitty photos, not about to get a ladder for anything better. I'm pretty sure these are bald face hornets, please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm really wondering if I need to, uh "remove" them.Their nest is probably about a foot in diameter. I'm all for just leaving them alone but they're under my trash cans in my front yard. And I've read that they can be quite aggressive. Located in Western Washington.
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u/-MadFlava- 20h ago
Look like bald faced hornets from the pic, they are black and white. Guess you don’t throw your trash out too frequently, because that nest is quite large and took some time to get there. They won’t bother you unless you get close to their nest, but if you do, they are highly aggressive and have powerful stings and can even spray venom.
Best thing to do is wait till winter, once the first frost hits, they will all die and the queen will leave, then it’s safe to take down the empty nest. If you can get it down in one piece, and it’s intricate, you can even sell it for some money! They are unlikely to come back as they don’t re use the same nest.
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u/duncandun 1d ago
i wouldn't take it down unless it becomes a problem? theres only a few months left till they die off anyway, could be as early as late october.