Hornets Find the Light in Little Silver, NJ
Challenge
Recently, I went on a service call for a homeowner in Little Silver, NJ who contacted Cowleys after finding a hornets' nest by the back door of her home. Once I arrived, I began my inspection in the backyard of the home and immediately found the nest attached to a light fixture. A closer look told me that this was the beginnings stages of a bald-faced hornets' nest.
A bald-faced hornet nest is egg-shaped and can be up to two feet in length with hundreds of wasps forming the colony. Their nest is created by a single female queen who builds the papery nest by chewing tree bark. Next, the female uses a stalk called a petiole to attach the nest to the nearest object (in this case the light fixture). Then, she forms cells inside the protected nest to lay her eggs. The fertilized eggs become female workers, who take over the maintenance of the nest. The unfertilized eggs become the males, or drones which have no part in maintaining the nest but instead fly out of the nest to mate.
Solution
Large nests are a challenge to treat due to the aggressive hornets armed with stingers flying around trying to protect them. Fortunately, this small nest with only a single female present was a lot safer to remove.
I treated the nest with an aerosol residual and removed the nest from the light fixture before it could become larger. This application eliminates all active hornets and the eggs inside the nest. After removing the nest, I inspected the entire exterior of the property to see if there was any additional hornet activity. Fortunately, after a thorough inspection, I did not find any. The homeowner was grateful that she does not have to worry about hornets stinging her or her grandchildren. To me, that is the best part of my job, a home that is free from worry and pests.
