hornets nests

[Nutso]

I like to decorate with natural things....including hornets nests....I have one small problem and I need a little help.....they smell bad....I put the hives in a black plastic bag when I first got them, and kept them in a sunny place to be sure that the hornets were dead...then I shook the heck out of them to get out the dead hornets.....now (several months later) they smell like old dirty feet.

I need some suggestions to get rid of the smell....help!!!

[derekdutton]

hummm.....I never did it that way but i never got the bad smell neither, i always bagged mine and put them in the freezer. Maybe the cooked hornets made it not smell so good.

I always get them in the cold weather which kinda rules out setting them in the hot sun.

Couldnt you deoderize it with some arm and hammer? what about those spray cans of smell good stuff?

[badger]

I'd spray em with some beaver castor, I love that smell.

[bigpat]

Sounds like you have a bunch of decaying bees and larvae in there. If you can't get them out it might help if you can dehydrate them. Or go with Badger's idea.

[lilweasel]

I would think the plastic bag would hold in the odors and moisture. Store them in something that can breathe.

[flyguy]

Nutso,have a guy in my neck of the woods that puts moth balls in the bag...the fumes are suppose to kill the larvae and bees they smell like moth balls for a few days then air out maybe that will work.

[Nutso]

Thanks guys.....some good suggestions....!!!

[Deleted]

We sprayed them with bee spray for a couple days and then put them in the freezer about 5 days after the last spray. then pulled it out and let it set a couple days then sprayed some kind of clear coat my uncle had. They turn out really nice. Something else that we did was cut the branch back a ways and put it on the wall with the hive still attached to the branch if those are the ones you are getting.

[jpgs22]

badger16 said:

I'd spray em with some beaver castor, I love that smell.

lol

[killemall]

I can understand the Beaver Castor but has anyone tried some red fox gland lure or maybe a little food type lure and then hang in the kitchen?

[rustytrap]

i got a friend who is a logger and he has one hell of a collection in his pole barn someone once told me that they would spray super hold hair spray on them to keep them togeather

[bobcat]

throw that one away and get one in the winter. no bees or larva = no stink.