Yes; a hornet's nest. Specifically the nest of the bald-faced hornet; it's kind of a grayish-blue in color and shaped so much like a football you have to wonder if early football players didn't say, "hey—that pigskin is shaped just like a hornet's nest! At any rate, there's no danger to Joe or his boys from this thing now January in PA because it's empty—just like the similarly designed but underground nests that yellowjacket colonies used over the summer.
Those queens will overwinter in protected areas and each one that survives will start the process of building a new nest—somewhere else—next Spring. As with yellowjackets, the old hornet nest won't be re-used. Each new queen will choose a site, get the process started and then lay eggs that will produce workers, who will then chew up little bits of wood and bark, add the natural cement of their saliva, and eventually form a waterproof cone big enough to hold several hundred hornets—generally hanging from the branch of a tree.
But clearly not always hanging, as this nest was found inside the branches of some kind of shrub. They can even appear on the outside of a home, which happened to us one year. We have a little balcony off of our bedroom and the hornets made a big nest up in the top of the inverted V of the roof outside, where the soffits probably provided a lot of protection from rain. What did we do? The same thing you should—we just let it be. Yes, they freaked out my poor wife quite a bit, but we have a cathedral ceiling in the bedroom and the nest was in the outside peak of that ceiling, which meant it was a good ten feet over our heads when we were outside….
You almost forget they're there after a month or so goes by and the only thing that happens is you see them coming and going out of the hole on the bottom of their nest.
Wasps begin building their nests at the start of spring mid-April time , when the weather starts to get warmer. As soon as the temperature begins to drop, wasp numbers will follow suit.
However, it is very possible that a nest can last all summer. Once a colony is formed, the worker wasps will defend their nest at all costs. Wasps are able to nest anywhere providing the structure they choose can support the weight of the nest.
They tend to choose locations that are high up and hidden from predators. As long as the location provides a suitable breeding and feeding round for their colony and queen, they can nest anywhere. A common misconception is that wasps only nest high up in trees.
However, wasps are known to nest in the following areas:. As stated previously, wasps will build their nests anywhere that provides a safe and secure breeding ground for their colony. Wasp lifespans vary depending on the type of wasp. Social, worker wasps females have an average lifespan of days. However, drones males live slightly longer, and queens can live up to one year as they hibernate. Fortunately, the number of wasps and wasp activity will begin to fall as soon as the weather starts to cool.
If you suspect or see that you have a wasp or hornets nest around your home, call your local pest control company to help remove wasps and hornets from the area. Wasps in particular are known to build their nests inside the walls of homes or attic spaces which can leave homeowners at risk as they are aggressive in nature. Trying to get rid of the problem yourself can result in being stung multiple times since these insects are protective of their nests.
A local pest control company will have the proper tools and equipment to safely and effectively remove the insects and their nest. October 16, Stinging Insect , Wasps. Share: Share on Twitter Share on Facebook.
We Lock Pests Out. Contact us for a FREE inspection! Unlike honeybees that use the same hive the following year, old queens and all workers die when cold weather arrives.
Recently hatched new queens are the only survivors. The nest, despite the effort that went in to building such fine accommodations, is permanently abandoned. Fertilized queens overwinter in stumps or rotten logs, protected from the cold. Each will begin a new nest and colony the following spring. The bald-faced hornet is a close relative of yellow jackets but is black and white instead of yellow.
Its face resembles a fierce-looking mask of ebony and ivory. Bald-faced hornets are the largest individuals of the wasp family in North America, approaching an inch in length.
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