that I just discovered yesterday…15 feet up on a branch of a white pine tree.
It is oblong and the size of a basketball around the center. It’s not honey bees or wasps. I am guessing they are hornets. They fly really fast in and out of the entry hole. I waited till dusk last night, and armed with three cans of ‘sure shot’ spray, the kind that shoots a straight powerful stream up to ten feet, and let loose. Well, as I said earlier, the hive is 15 feet away and by the time the stream reached it, it was a useless spray…but it did piss off the occupants, and I retreated most fast. I’m not about to go up a step ladder to get closer, I need to be on terra firma for a possible escape.
So, I am going to live and let live. Will this hive go dormant when the cold weather sets in? Will they spend the winter in this thing? Will they eventually abandon ship? Where do these suckers go for the winter?
I’m going to cut the entire branch down when activity stops, and drop it in a burn barrel. When can I do this? New York, by the way.
Sounds like hornets, if it has a single hole at the bottom.
I have no idea where “E 161 st & River ave” is, but if it gets cold in the winter, they will hibernate, and you can safely cut it down and burn it once they do.
If allowed by your community, you can light a smoky torch and smoke them out. They will leave the vicinity. Use a 10’ pole and direct the smoke into the entrance and all around the hive.
If your aim is good, try a sling shot. I alwasys use ice cubes as shot for soft targets like that, as they are much bigger than rocks of the same weight.
You mean a “sting shot”. 
You do not want to be stung by a hornet!
Sounds like what’s commonly called a bald-faced hornet. If it’s 15 feet up I’m not sure I see the need to get rid of it, but what we used to do back in the day is knock them down with sticks and then run like hell. At this point you’re committed to the method since a grounded hornet nest is a safety hazard. Once the remaining ones have settled a bit, say after a half hour or so, go back with a wide-mouthed container of gasoline… approach nest briskly, douse with gasoline, then another hasty exit. No need to burn it, they’ll abandon it in a few minutes. Makes a cool show-and-tell for the kids.
Never tried the smoke trick… that might work, but they’ll return. Under no circumstances would I launch projectiles at them, it’s not going to do anything except make them angry.
BTW, bald-faced hornets are not true hornets but rather wasps. Not that it makes any difference, as every single person I know calls them hornets and wouldn’t recognize a true hornet if they saw one.
I would still try to get rid of it. They aren’t good neighbors and don’t go away on their own oftentimes. Do you have a shotgun or even a pellet gun? A beekeepers suit would let you climb a ladder safely. Otherwise, just find something really long and knock the hell out of it like a pinata with a dangerous surprise.
Thanks BRAIN WRECK. The Wikipedia article confirmed it . I have seen white flashes on their heads, and the pix of the nest are identical. I just can’t believe I never noticed it being built. I park one of my cars right under it.
Save yourself some heartache, call an exterminator.
I see these nests regularly, and there’s a nice one right now in a tree some ways behind my house. I’ve never had trouble with the occupants of such a nest, and I strongly suspect that if you can avoid close encounters neither will you.
As the Wiki link notes, the nest is abandoned when cold weather arrives; it can then safely be retrieved (and perhaps kept as a trophy).
In short, live and let live works rather well here.
I’ve had some success with a hose and the jet gun attachment. Move the car, then shoot it down, and retreat inside. when it gets toward dusk (7 o’clock or so round there), either use the jet to break it up, or use the sure shot to kill it all.
I would suggest removal after it’s below freezing. You can shoot it out of the tree if you live in an area that you can shoot a rifle. Once again do it when they are cold and dormant. I’m guessing it’s a paper wasp nest. The entrance should be on the bottom, so plug it as soon as you can, if removing by hand. A heave plastic bag pulled up and sealed around the top at the attachment point will keep them from swarming you. Duct tape is your friend.