Wasps and Hornets

Thought I'd pass this on....  (Think I made a post on this before... too lazy to look today.)

I was listening to a gardening show on the radio today, and a caller wanted help on controlling wasp nests that were invading the north side of his home.

For years, I had the same problem with hornets.  I got stung a couple of times trying to spray their nests with Wasp & Hornet killer, and it seemed to work temporarily, but the hornets would come back to the same nesting area.

I then found out I could get diatomaceous earth which is an FDA approved insecticide.  Diatoms, those tiny little critters floating around in our oceans are made of silica, an extremely hard substance.  The diatoms protect themselves by growing sharp silica spikes on their bodies.

I watched a research project investigating the insecticidal properties of diatomaceous earth (electron micrographs of these critters are cool!) and found out hard shelled bugs get these tiny diatom carcases in their joints.  The diatomaceous earth grinds at their joints to the point where they die of dehydration.

I got some of this stuff and in the evening when it's cool and the hornets aren't active, I sprayed some of this diatomaceous earth into their nests.  It took a few days, but the hornets either left, or died off.  In any event, since I did this, the hornets have disappeared and never came back.  (Two years running.)

Thought you'd like to know.

P.S. Don't kill any beneficial bugs.  (I let "pet" spiders build webs around my house, keeps the moth population down.)

My "pet toads" keep the bugs off of my tomato plants.