A Permaculture Approach to Dealing with Hornets
- Milton Dixon
A couple of days ago, I was setting up new paddocks for my sheep when I stumbled across a bald-faced hornet nest. This isn’t the first time I’ve run across one in the field. Their nests are generally high up in a tree, and when they’re near the ground, I’ve found that if I give them enough space, they leave me alone.
I was stung once while I was scything past a hidden nest and boy, did it HURT! But I found some plantain, chewed it up, and applied the poultice to the sting. I was back in action almost immediately as the pain quickly vanished. So, unless I go looking for trouble, the hornets are really not an issue for me.
So, what to do? The nest had recently been ravaged by some creature, a skunk or raccoon maybe, and was actually lying on the ground, half torn apart. It was still active though with a few guard hornets standing watch over the wreckage while foragers were in and out every fifteen seconds or so.
My biggest concern is that I was setting up this particular paddock for some friends who will be sheep sitting for me during some time away for me and my family. Even if the hornets abandoned the nest, or the skunk came back to finish its meal, it seemed wise to at least mark the nest for my friends and maybe fence it off to keep the sheep clear of it.
So, I was forced to slow down and actually think about what was going on. Observe and interact! My sheep have crossed paths with hornets before and been fine, so that wasn’t really my worry. Would my sheep sitters actually even be moving sheep through this paddock while I was gone? The closer I get to my travel dates, the clearer that picture gets. Depending on paddock size, number of sheep, and how much vegetation there is, they might move through more quickly or slowly. So maybe that’s less of a concern too.
But one thought did flash through my head: Why not just spray it with pesticide!!!??? Sort of an intrusive thought from less connected ways of being. Thinking about this more deeply, why would I want to spray poison on a thriving ecosystem? Why expose my sheep, or myself, to something harmful, when there’s no imminent danger and frankly, some better options?
These hornets are part of this ecosystem. They were clearly feeding something else out there. And what are all the other relationships that they have? Hornets are predators, they hunt insects to feed their larvae. That means they’re doing real work keeping insect populations in balance. They may be just the reason that we see tent caterpillars in our food forest every year, but they never take hold.
In reality, this torn-open nest on the ground wasn’t a problem for me to solve. It was just the ecosystem doing what it does with one creature feeding on another and keeping the larger system in balance.
That’s the thing about paying attention out here. You start pulling one thread and pretty soon you’re looking at the whole web that it’s tied to.
The next right thing to do wasn’t to clear it away or spray it down. It was just to observe what’s happening with curiosity, mark it so others can stay clear, and let it keep doing what it’s been doing long before I showed up with my paddock plans.
Just another day living the permaculture life.
4 thoughts on “A Permaculture Approach to Dealing with Hornets”
WOW I went thru all those same emotions with you! I hear ya loud and clear. My mind would have taking all the same avenues of thought that you did. I like your final decision too. I live in a Senior mobile home park. I have no problem cohabitating with most insects or animals., that wonder thru. I seen some mud dobbers moving in and building at nest on the underside of our car port. Then I noticed affids on my plants. The next day they were all gone. I was SO pleasantly surprised. They have since moved on. What a great experience without reacting out of fear. Thanks man.
And they’re still there! I just moved my sheep past that paddock today. They had no problems, neither did any of my friends while they were watching the sheep.
Everybody will think I’m nuts but I talk with the hornets or wasps or what have you, make it clear that I mean them no harm, follow through with the right actions, as you did, and generally everything is OK. As you said, you got stung when you scared the crap out of them with the scythe. I had a wasp nest that I handled as above (right above my back door). All summer long it was fine. They did not bug us while we were sitting out or anything. Then, one day, my partner swung a 2×4 right near the nest. He got stung immediately. He broke the contract and suffered the consequences. I renegotiated with them, followed up with the right actions again and the rest of the summer went fine. We shouldn’t see everything as an enemy to be conquered. (Except for poison ivy. I think it really might be out to get us. Hahahahaha!)
Good to hear from you Mary Kay. You and Becky would get along famously in our critter-filled yard. I hear her chatting with not only the birds and the rabbity, but even the ants at times. 🙂 I see these conversations as just a warm respect for all life. Cheers.