Will mossie spray kill hornets?

Post by **arjay** » February 14, 2012, 5:04 pm

Will a normal mosquito/fly spray kill wasps and hornets, if sprayed from about 2m away?

We have a hornet or wasp just started building a nest in a tree in our garden. So it's just a solitary one, presumably a Queen. My wife says it's the sort with a dangerous sting. She didn't want to kill it, so knocked the nest down a couple of times, as it was in its very early stages. But the hornet (or wasp) keeps coming back and starting again, so I want to zap/spray it and be finished with it. The difficulty is it's about 3.5m above ground, so about 1.75m above my height/reach and I don't know if it will get enough of the spray to do the job, or indeed if the spray is strong enough. Does anyone have any practical experience of what will work and what won't?

I've got spray cans of Baygon, principal ingredient Cypermethrin 0.1%, and also the Thai termite type spray with a thin tube, principal ingredient Permethrin 0.14%.

I've got plenty of clothes, gloves and masks just in case.

Post by **Stevo** » February 14, 2012, 5:17 pm

Baygon (green can) should work Arjay... it kills cockroaches and they are quite hardy.
You'll need a direct hit on it though, and watch it doesn't turn on you if you miss... happened to me a few years back when I lived in Bangers, same thing... Black wasps building a nest in one of my trees.
I did ask my Thai neighbour for advise, and he said use petrol

The Baygon worked for me.

Post by **Dr. James** » February 14, 2012, 5:29 pm

I would suggest a powerful spray designed for wasps and hornets. It will have plenty of knockdown power immediately whereas mosquito spray probably won't do a quick job. You don't want to try to outrun an angry hornet. Petrol does knock them down immediately. Just be careful of smoking when you are attempting it though!!!

Post by **fatbob** » February 14, 2012, 6:14 pm

We have had a few in the buildings at work, the workers destroy the nest first then spray the area they were building the nest with heaps of baygon, they always do this just on sunset or late evening, they havent come back to those areas. If you just spray without destroying the nest you will only make them angry, you would'nt want to be up a ladder then, I would give a family member or a neighbor 100 baht to do it for you, play it safe, hornets hurt like hell.

Post by **arjay** » February 14, 2012, 6:55 pm

There is a just ONE single hornet, which has been building the nest. It is there now as it's dark. I wonder is that a good time to have a go, if I can get the spray near enough.

It has only just started building the nest, which is only the size of the base of an egg cup, about 1.5 inch diameter and 1/2 inch deep.

Post by **BobHelm** » February 14, 2012, 7:03 pm

She is a queen RJ.
She will start building & laying, the hornets will hatch & they will do the building while the queen then just lays.
Night time is best. Kill it now, destroy the nest, spray the area around the nest with bug spray.

Post by **arjay** » February 14, 2012, 8:03 pm

I think I got it, - a two pronged attack, after dark, using 2 cans of insecticide (as previously named) sprayed simultaneously from about 5 ft away, aimed to intersect at the nest & occupant (queen wasp/hornet) for about 5 seconds. (It was there). As it was evening, there was no wind and the spray hung all around it and on the surrounding foliage.

My wife said she heard it buzz once and thought it dropped to the branches/leaves below. I couldn't hear as I was cocooned in long sleeved shirt and jacket with high collar, dust mask, glasses and motor cycle crash hat and visor, (not forgetting the running shoes!)! I then sprayed the leaves below it's nest, followed by the ground below that for a further 10 seconds each, before retreating indoors.

I like to be thorough and take no chances!

We don't plan to remove nest for another 24 hours just to be sure that it or anything else doesn't return.

Post by **jackspratt** » February 14, 2012, 9:09 pm

arjay wrote: My wife said she heard it buzz once and thought it dropped to the branches/leaves below. I couldn't hear as I was cocooned in long sleeved shirt and jacket with high collar, dust mask, glasses and motor cycle crash hat and visor, (not forgetting the running shoes!)! I then sprayed the leaves below it's nest, followed by the ground below that for a further 10 seconds each, before retreating indoors.

I like to be thorough and take no chances!

rj, you forgot your cone of silence (the ultimate protection).

Post by TJ » February 15, 2012, 5:57 am

When I was a teenager I had a job painting schools and the presence of wasp nests were a constant problem. I used gasoline to eradicate wasps. Put a cup or two of gasoline in a can, hurl the contents at the nest and run. It killed all the wasps in and around the nest and I don't remember ever getting stung.

Post by **trubrit** » February 15, 2012, 7:36 am

arjay wrote:
My wife said she heard it buzz once and thought it dropped to the branches/leaves below. I couldn't hear as I was cocooned in long sleeved shirt and jacket with high collar, dust mask, glasses and motor cycle crash hat and visor, (not forgetting the running shoes!)!

Hope we are going to see the photo .

Post by **arjay** » February 15, 2012, 2:22 pm

TJ wrote:When I was a teenager I had a job painting schools and the presence of wasp nests were a constant problem. I used gasoline to eradicate wasps. Put a cup or two of gasoline in a can, hurl the contents at the nest and run. It killed all the wasps in and around the nest and I don't remember ever getting stung.

TJ, was that without igniting the gasoline?

It looks like we got it last night as our small nest is empty today with no sign the inhabitant!