It is important to know that hornet is a cultural term for a very large, dark coloured wasp. Hornets look different from wasps and so do their nests but scientifically speaking a hornet is a wasp. Wasps, however, are normally more colourful and smaller than hornets. Their sting is also far less aggressive and painful than hornets and far less likely to kill you when a swarm attacks. However, both insects are incredibly dangerous and deadly and if you have them on your property you should act immediately to get rid of them as soon as you can. You can do it on your own or with the help of professionals but there is no time like the present and in this case, your life does depend on it.
Identifying a nest is not an easy job. Unless you can cut the nest open and look inside it’s going to be hard to tell. Hornets tend to build large globular nests high in trees with large central chambers coated in a paper-like material while wasps will build a nest essentially anywhere. In a tree, underground or even in a wall. Hornets are less likely to do this but it is still something they can do. The wasp nest is also usually much smaller and much less high up in the tree. They also may make individual nests like paper wasps in holes in the ground often made by rodents. The wasp will dig up the soil for grubs and sting them and then lay an egg. The egg will hatch and eat the grub and grow strong enough to start its life cycle. In a nest, this happens rapidly with thousands of eggs at a time. If you aren’t careful you could be rapidly overrun in no time.
Wasps are also much less aggressive than hornets, though they will try to kill you if you interfere with their nest. Wasps are capable of remembering human faces and when someone harnesses them they remember and can recognize the human’s face. They will avoid other humans and objects and fly directly at the target they are angry with. Hornets are the same, but much more dangerous. A hornet sting is debilitating on its own. Multiple stings can send you to the hospital or even end your life. So take a nest seriously.
Treating a wasp nest is not as difficult as it seems. The key to the treatment is to do it late at night when the wasps are all asleep in the nest. One method is to lose it from the support it is hanging from, allowing it to drop into a bin. You will want it to have a strong hinged cover so you can simply flip the lid on. You can then leave it to shut for a few weeks, the wasps will starve and die and the nest can be disposed of. This is a risky method though, do not miss it. If that is not fast enough for you or you fear you will get stung you can try the pesticide method. You can gt two cans of very high-end wasp insecticide and then spray them both, at the same time, into the entrance. Keep spraying till both cans are empty and then leave the nest where it is and get into the house. The wasps inside will die but it can take up to two weeks so you may still see some wasps on the property. The best way to prevent wasps is to inspect your property in the early spring for tiny nests made by wasp queens who just woke from hibernation.
