Wasp nest inside a hollow oak caught me off guard, 40 feet up

I was doing a crown reduction on a big oak near Portland last Thursday and my climbing saw punched right through thin bark into a hidden wasp nest. Whole swarm came out in seconds, I had to rappel down fast with one hand. Anyone else found nests in seemingly solid wood and have a go-to way to check before cutting deeper?

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piperbailey2d agoMost Upvoted

Holy crap, that's a nightmare. My buddy Dan hit the exact same thing last summer on a dying maple, only he wasn't 40 feet up, maybe 15, but still. He said the saw just buzzed through this thin spot and suddenly it sounded like a radio playing static in his ear, and the whole side of the tree just went dark with them. He ended up jumping the last few feet and rolled his ankle in the process. Now he always taps the trunk with the back of his handaxe before he even makes a cut, just a few solid thumps around where he's working. Says if it sounds hollow or dull, he backs off and looks for any cracks or stains first. It's not foolproof, but it's saved him twice since.