See the wasp nest? We have sprayed six of them hanging from the eaves of the house. We assume they are yellow jacket’s nests, but intense Googling has shown that bald-faced hornets make similar (if not identical) paper nests.

These were small. Banjo Man and I waited until after sunset and then sprayed the heck out of them.

The wasp problem was not solved, though. But the yellow jacket population certainly decreased. The remaining issue? The bald faced hornets.

I found an old trap we’d stored years ago. And I bought another one. One for the front yard, one for the back.

The hornets ignored the traps for days. I added honey to the water in one and apple cidar vinegar to the other trap (the upper chambers are designed for liquid).

Still nothing. I watch the b-f hornets avoid them as they buzz around the upper deck when I was trying to enjoy iced tea and a book.

This morning I put a wad of hamburger (guess what I’m grilling for dinner!) in the bottom chamber of each trap. And I wait. Surely they can’t resist meat!

I’ve ordered three essential oils–clove, geranium and lemon grass–to put in a spray bottle with water and dish soap. I will soak cotton balls with peppermint oil for the tables on the deck. Supposedly hornets hate peppermint oil.

And I am tempted to buy a couple of little lemon grass plants, also a repellent.

Years ago we tried using a homemade wire trap and mixing a can of Swanson’s white chicken meat with 1/2 tsp of Fipronil. The wasps take the meat back to the queen and kill her. It worked, so we’re going to do that again as soon as we make a new trap.

Will that work with the evil bald-faced hornets? I don’t know. We have yet to spot a nest in any of the surrounding trees. We keep looking.

And I keep searching for help on the internet.

Advice, anyone?