Wasp nest wadding

[DanL]

FYI: This past weekend I was inspecting some deer hunting tower blinds and found some recently abandoned wasp nests. These were of a couple of species of paper wasps. I had heard/read that the wasp nest was good for smooth bore wadding and would not burn. I decided to test the 'Burn' theory. :hmm: I removed the nests and took them to my forge for testing.

A. I set a match next to the nest and it burns as quick as tissue paper.

B. I compressed a nest to simulate wadding and it charred and burned around the edges and like any compressed paper it did not burn well until it was "fluffed" again.

C. Maybe I will get around to testing it as a wadding the next time I get out the smoothie. A good lube might prevent the burning. I suggest that the leaves should be damp before you go squirrel hunting with wasp nest as a wadding...Smoldering wads.

D. Wasp nest may make good char for fire starting with flint and steel.

Just what I discovered....Actually, I was hoping that the wasp spittle that they make the paper with was "fire proof".
Not true.

DanL

 

[fatboy]

Hi Danl I have 2 guys that shoot at are club and the use Hornets nest for shooting bird shot seams to work well for them at least they say so. Dont know how diff it maybe compared to the wasp nest ? :results:

 

[musketman]

D. Wasp nest may make good char for fire starting with flint and steel.

I thought they were suppose to be somewhat fire proof because of all the mud used to make them???

 

[DanL]

Hi LHunter.....Well...just in case you have something about the Hornet's nest, I just reached up and pulled a piece off the hornet's nest that I have hanging in my office. I took it outside and and touched it with a lighter. It went up in flames as fast or faster than the regular wasp nest. Actually, I think the paper wasp family includes the hornets. We have here locally the red wasp, the "Ginny" wasp and the hornet which all build paper nests.

I suspect that the paper wasp nest would make good wadding material as a padding/buffer. Also, I have not tested the material in a smoothie as yet. However, I would suggest caution using it in a "dry woods" situation. The material does char and burn readily.

Whenever I get a round "toit", I will collect more material and test it in my smoothie and report to the forum what I find. However, this may be a while. I do not intend to destroy the hornet's nest in my office. ::

DanL

 

I use the ball hornet nests we have here in the west; you will find that if let to an open flame the will burn.
However
I have yet to find it burning when using it as wading, we also have found that if loaded below a PRB it raises the MV around 200fps.
We even threw one in a fire one time and it smoked for quite a while before finally bursting into flames.
I also replace my supply regularly. maybe your nests have been under cover our indoors long enough the moisture content has dropped to about 0.
After all when you really think about it its nothing more then natures paper

 

[Jack Walker]

I can't say I've ever had a problem with wasps nest wadding smoldering, as said, maybe yours is too dried out.

 

[gordy]

Captchee:thats been my experience also,I use it in My rifles whith hunting loads.I've never found it burning or smoldering on the ground,I have,however found cotton patches smoldering when I didn't use it. :redthumb:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've used it many years and have yet to start a forest fire. But then, it takes a while to smolder through a foot of snow or a mast of leaves that are wet all afternoon and frozen in hoarfrost every night until well past sun up. ::

 

[roundball]

Here's a somewhat related question for the bees nest brain trust:

Walking in to a tree stand a few days ago, a hole about the size of a large coffee can appeared to have been dug in the ground along side the path I walk in on...and scattered all around the opening were a half dozen sections of honeycombs each about the size of a pack of cigarettes, etc.

I assume it was an underground yellow-jacket nest as they're fond of building them underground, but what puzzled me was trying to figure out what in the world would have dug it up?

 

mybe a bear .
i watched a small black bear one time from the ridge above just go cazy . he was spinning and bouncing then all of a sudden he just started tearing up the ground . after he had moved on i climbed down the ridge to see just what had ? @ssed him off so much . i found a big ground hornet nest , he must have steped on it and brought the little buggers out :hmm:

 

[roundball]

That was my first thought too, but I never hear about any bear sightings around here in central NC.
Plus the dug out hole was pretty small...hardly as big as the mouth of a big coffee can and about as neat...seems like a bear would have torn up more real estate...dunno.

( Sure makes me want to double check what I'm getting ready to sit on if I'm going to ground sit while hunting! )

 

[Stumpkiller]

If it has frosted a couple times the skunks will dig up the dormant nests. Probably racoons look forward to this time of year, too.

 

yep could be stumpkiller ,weasels ,skunks, coons could be any of them i guess

 

[Wes/Tex]

Hey Roundball, if you want to take a try at digging up those underground yellowjackets I'll send you a cherokee recipe for turning them into soup! No kidding, just let me know when all the swelling goes down!! :crackup: :crackup:

 

[roundball]

Well, let's see....my choices are:
1) Dig up an underground yellow-jacket nest;
2) Go have a root canel done;

Think I'll get my dentist on the line!
::

 

[dgold]

Here in Northern Saskatchewan, bears (black) frequently will dig up yellow jacket nests or pull down hornets nests (the football type) to break them open and eat the grubs. They don't seem to be too affected by the stings of the really p.o.ed hornets. One summer a bear came by and ripped down about 5 of them in and around my yard. That bear got a free pass from me.

 

[Keith]

Tough bear, good thing you didn't mess with 'im. :haha:

 

[olgriz]

Out here in Oregon I've seen skunks dig them up in the summer when they are at their meanist. After that I started giving the skunks a pass if they weren't around the house.

 

[Deadeye]

I've never tried hornet nest but Sam Fadala who wrote the "Black Powder Loading Manual" a Gun Digest book, claims it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
A few yrs ago a friend , while deer hunting, was crawling thru some heavy brush and crawled over a yellow jacket nest, they swarmed him and trying to get away he fell over a cliff
broke his rifle in half and banged himself up pretty good.
They can be mean.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've gone over a few ground wasp/yellow-jacket nests with my lawn tractor and I can tell you it takes WAY too long for a tractor to accelerate from 3 to 60 mph.

I got into some white-faced hornets on my roof and, after being nailed three times, went off the edge, bouncing once on the porch roof, rather than try to get back to the other side of the house where the ladder was. Felt like being stabbed with a soldering iron!