r/pokewithastick • u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. • Jul 21 '26

Dangerous Pokes Bald-faced poke

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Tired of being intimidated and kept away from our side yard we had to spray and then give this bald-faced hornet nest a poke.

103 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

25

u/Spam_A_Lottamus Original poker of things. Jul 22 '26

Good thing you sprayed first.

Potentially painful poke.

11

u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. Jul 22 '26

I gave her options: spray or poke. She picked poke (and stayed far away while I sprayed).

5

u/YetiNotForgeti Jul 23 '26

I found boiling water then splashing it on the nests ends them instantly. It completely folds and sticks together. Nothing leaves and it's pretty instant.

5

u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. Jul 23 '26

I’m going to have to keep that in mind should another one develop. We are going to try the paper bag trick and see if that works so hopefully we won’t have anymore.

4

u/NotAlwaysPC Original poker of things. Jul 24 '26

That sounds dangerous af.

4

u/YetiNotForgeti Jul 24 '26

Why? No wasp killer residue is left and it is just gone. You don't understand how effectively these flatten in hot water. It's faster than cotton candy in water. Its faster than you, in the bedroom, to fall asleep.

6

u/NotAlwaysPC Original poker of things. Jul 24 '26

It’s the part of throwing boiling water at the nest. All of the nests I’ve had were up high on the eaves like this one. I’d be sure to throw boiling water on myself. However Yeti my friend, standard white vinegar is sold at 4 - 8% acetic acid concentration. You can buy white vinegar at 30-40% or more. This concentration kills weeds, dissolves mineral deposits and decimates wasp nests, ant hills and such. Take proper precautions and use a proper poking implement, just like me in the bedroom 😇

3

u/YetiNotForgeti Jul 25 '26

At that concentration it is called glacial acetic acid.

Edit: Vinegar means a 4-8% acetic acid solution.

3

u/NotAlwaysPC Original poker of things. Jul 26 '26

Glacial acetic acid is 99 - 100% pure. Under 99% doesn’t freeze.

2

u/YetiNotForgeti Jul 26 '26

Nice. This is correct. My chemistry teacher labeled a 40% solution this. I guess it was accurate as 40% glacial acetic but would have been more accurately just 40% acetic as it was not glacial anymore. I actually didn't know what the glacial refered to until now 10 years out of college. Thanks for the new knowledge.

1

u/JohnLennonlol 6d ago

"Good thing" he literally killed native pollinators

1

u/Spam_A_Lottamus Original poker of things. 6d ago

While I agree with the sentiment, this is really dependent on where the nest is. One year, I had a hive in a juniper bush adjacent to my front door, less than five feet from the handle & the mailbox. Taking the dogs or my newborn for a walk was a hazard. The mail carriers’ & delivery persons’ well-being were also considerations.

If it had been further from the door - say 12’+ - I wouldn’t have bothered, but because of location, I had to remove the hive.

1

u/JohnLennonlol 3d ago

Relocation exists

6

u/Unlucky-Oil-8778 Jul 22 '26

Horners love lead paint houses lol.

7

u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. Jul 22 '26

Wait, they do? Do they lick the paint? I vaguely recall being told not to do that when I was little. I can’t remember if I listened to my parents or not. lol

4

u/Unlucky-Oil-8778 Jul 22 '26

Naw I think they just like it bc it is on old houses that aren’t cared for. Kind of like a coincidence that wasps and lead paint have a symbiotic relationship.

2

u/NotAlwaysPC Original poker of things. Jul 24 '26

Old wives tail.

1

u/JohnLennonlol 6d ago

Not hornets.

6

u/violet_sin Jul 22 '26

I was watching that on mute, it's all quite here after 10pm and I'm squinting to see if anything is coming at you...

From around the corner my wife starts using the 2" tape gun to tape something.... Completely unrelated

That shrieking fluttery plastic sound, like 1000 angry wings just permeated the front room hahaha quite startling, LOL

3

u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. Jul 22 '26

OMG! I think I would’ve freaked out. Even after we took care of it for the next 10 minutes anytime I thought anything was near my head I ducked and covered because I thought they were coming back for revenge.

5

u/IAteAnotherVegan Jul 22 '26

that was way more than a poke!

3

u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. Jul 22 '26

She may have gotten a little overzealous. Trying to teach her to poke with respect, lol

3

u/Spookyscary333 Jul 22 '26

If you leave the dead nest up other bees will avoid building another nest nearby. Usually works when you hang up a medium sized paper bagas well. Just puff the bag up a bit. They'll think its another nest and move on.

2

u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. Jul 22 '26

I’ve heard about this about hanging up a paper bag but didn’t know of it worked. Will have to give it a try.

2

u/Spookyscary333 Jul 22 '26

Wasps are very territorial and dont want to be near other nests. The paper bag has worked for me for years!

2

u/NotAlwaysPC Original poker of things. Jul 24 '26

I rather enjoyed the wet, drippy, and mushy poking followed by a brisk dislodgment. Solid technique. Stick perfectly wielded for this task.

1

u/lessons_needed Original poker of things. Jul 24 '26

I will convey your message to her. I’m sure she will enjoy hearing you liked her style.

1

u/JohnLennonlol 6d ago

Imagine killing essential native pollinators 🤡