Hornets

I have been noticing for a few increase a large increase in the number of hornets hanging around the front door. As our house faces East, our front porch starts feeling extremely nice around 6:30, so that is the logical place to go sit, read, paint my fingernails and spy on the neighbors. Ha ha, just kidding, but it is the spot to go relax when its hot and the backyard is still steaming.

I found the reason why the place is hopping with hornets, they have decided that the corner right by my front steps would also be a good place to build a home.


Its a good thing that I have been watering my flower pots on the front porch at night when these little guys are asleep. I could have easily bumped into their nest and inadvertently created quite the scene. They are still there because I don't dare take care of them, I don't feel like having a mate come after me in my sleep! I swear those stinking things are smarter than the average honey bee.

Good ol' wikipedia supplied me with this warning: "Hornets, like many social wasps, can mobilize the entire nest to sting in defense, which is highly dangerous to humans. The hornet alarm pheromone is used to raise alarm of nest attack and to identify prey, such as bees.^[5] It is not advisable to kill a hornet anywhere near a nest, as the distress signal can trigger the entire nest to attack. Materials that come in contact with pheromone, such as clothes, skin, dead prey, or hornets, must be removed from the vicinity of the hornets nest. Perfumes and other volatile chemicals can be falsely identified as pheromone by the hornets and trigger an attack."

Great, I have no idea how we're going to get rid of this nest.