What is the best way to get rid of a large nest?

Hello zam-ga,

Most of the advice seems to be that you should leave this job to a
professional.  This is especially the case if the nest belongs to
bees.  You may well find that a local bee-keeper will be delighted to
remove the bees and add them to his stocks.  Also, if you think that
you might be allergic to the stings of these insects, it would
certainly be best to get professional help, because you run the risk
of a very serious reaction if you are stung, which could be fatal.  I
am allergic and over the past couple of years have become increasingly
sensitized.  Last year, I had just had one wasp sting on my arm, but I
needed immediate treatment with intravenous steroids and
anti-histamine, followed a by a week on oral steroids, antihistamine
and antibiotics!

Anyway, if you do want to go ahead, here are some web sites that will
help you to prepare for the job:

Natural Wasp Control from Eartheasy, with a section on nest removal:
http://eartheasy.com/live_natwasp_control.htm

NebGuide on Removing Problem Honey Bees from the University of
Nebraska:
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/insects/g843.htm

An article on wasp removal from See Magazine:
http://www.greatwest.ca/SEE/Issues/1998/0806/news2.html

Controlling Wasps, Hornets and Yellowjackets from the Univeristy of
Kentucky: http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef620.htm

Two factsheets from Cornell with written descriptions of the insects
and advice on how to control them and remove their nests.
Part 1 Aerial nesting wasps and bees:
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/factsheets/pest-fact-sheets/old/ms.pst.stingaer.html
Part 2 Subterranean, tree and wall nesting wasps and bees:
http://www.cce.cornell.edu/factsheets/pest-fact-sheets/old/ms.pst.stingsub.html

and another article on yellowjackets and hornets from West Virginia
University
http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/pest/hpm7002.pdf

if you haven't got Adobe Reader to view the pdf file, you can download
it for free from:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Here is a picture of a bee: http://www.pnl.gov/nsd/commercial/
rftags/market.html

Here are pictures of a yellow jacket wasp and a hornet:
http://www.ent.orst.edu/urban/ Yellow%20Jackets.html

Search strategy on Google: 1. bee nest removal, 2. hornet nest
removal, 3. wasp nest removal  plus Google image search for 1. bee, 2.
wasp, 3. hornet

And I wish you the very best of luck!

Here's some information from personal advice, I remove about a dozen
wasp nests from my property every year.

First and foremost, I agree with everything said in the posted answer
but this might prove useful.

If it is actually a bee nest and there is even the slightest danger
that these are the "killer" bees, then you have a live threatening
situation even if you aren't alergic to stings, but I presume you know
whether you are in an area where this is a real danger.

The following presumes that you do not have a dangerous medical
condition and are relatively handy and wish to tackle this problem
yourself.

In part what you can do depends on the location of the nest, so take
this information with a grain of salt and apply common sense
liberally.

A good can of wasp and hornet spray will reach about 20 feet. Very
early in the morning, before they become active, dress well, put on a
hat, gloves, and scarf, as well as some sort of eye protection such as
a ski mask and goggles, then simply walk up to the nest and spray it
heavily, then back away quickly.  I have never been stung using this
approach. In fact, although I actually have safety gear such as a net
head covering, I have never needed it and no longer use it unless I am
trying to move a bee hive.

If for some reason you must do this in the heat of the day when there
is a swarm of insects in the area and you can pull a vehicle close to
the nest, simply run a window down just enough to reach your arm out
and spray the nest for a few seconds, then pull in your arm and close
the window.

Now, here's what a neighbor does. He simply sneaks up on giant paper
wasp nests, slips a plastic bag over it and carries it off home where
he stuffs a gasoline-soaked rag in the hole, waits a few days for the
insects to dry out, taps it so they fall out, and hangs it with his
collection.  I AM NOT SUGGESTING YOU DO THIS, but I've seen it done in
the heat of the summer and he wasn't stung - he says the trick is
fast, decisive action, but I wouldn't try it myself!

I believe I've discovered a better way to remove a hornets nest.
Thought about this for days before attempting it and it worked so well
that I just had to tell someone. Here's what I did:
My hornets nest was a little larger than a basket ball and was
attached to some large bushes about 3 feet above the ground. It was
very well attached to dozens of little branches. I waited till late
evening for all the hornets to be in bed. Took a large plastic tote
approx. 18" tall by 18" wide and 24" long. Put 4" of water in the
bottom then alot of soap in the water. The soap is supposed to make
the hornets too slippery to climb up the sides so they drown. I slid
the tote under the nest and waited for one hour for them to calm down
again. I had my wife shine a flashlight on the ground (NOT on the
nest) so that I had just enough light to see the entrance/exit hole
that was near the bottom. In my hand I had a can of triple expanding
polyurethane foam which I had shaken vigourisly and had already tested
just before using. I placed the tube of foam just next to the hole and
started squirting while continuing in the hole going in about 3 ". I
continued to let the foam go in the nest for about 3 seconds. I
wouldn'd go much more than that for fear of the foam expanding so much
that the nest would rip open.
Well you should have heard the buzz but there were no hornets to be
seen. I then took my electric hedge trimmers and carefull cut away all
the supporting branches. The nest fell into the water and I continued
to look for hornets. None to be found. Taking my time now, I sprayed
the entire nest with wasp/hornet killer. Not willing to leave well
enough alone, I took a broom handle and while continuing to spray,
poked a hole in the top of the nest. There they were...must have been
hundreds. I emptied the wasp/hornet killer into the top hole, put the
lid on top of the tote and put a brick on top of the lid. Within 2
minutes, all the buzzing stopped.
I have time so I'm letting the tote sit in the sun for a week before
opening it to let any larvae die off then I'll just put the nest into
a bag and through it away.
The expandable foam worked so well that it was hard to believe but if
you've ever gotten that suff on your hands or clothes, you know why.
Just had to tell someone. Hope it helps. Dane J. Shearer www.radonfranchise.com