Wasp and Hornet Control

Wasp and Hornet Control

Wasps and hornets are social insects. A single queen starts a nest in spring, and by August the colony can hold hundreds or thousands of workers. That is why a nest that seemed small in June becomes a problem in late summer. It is also why the approach depends on which insect you have.

Paper wasps build the open, umbrella shaped comb you see under eaves, deck rails, porch ceilings and inside mailboxes. The cells are visible from below. Paper wasps are not very aggressive away from the nest, but they defend it when you work close by, which is how most stings happen during painting or gutter cleaning.

Bald faced hornets are a type of yellow jacket, despite the name. They build the enclosed gray paper nests, shaped like a football, that hang from tree limbs, shrubs and the corners of buildings. The nests are often higher and much larger than they look from the ground, and the colony defends a wide area around them.

Yellow jackets are the ones that show up at cookouts and trash cans. They nest in the ground, in old rodent burrows, and inside wall cavities, soffits and attics. A steady line of small yellow and black wasps going in and out of one hole is the sign. Their numbers peak in late summer, and they will sting repeatedly if the nest is disturbed. Mowing over a ground nest is the most common way people find one.

We identify the species before doing anything, because it changes the product, the timing and the protective gear. Exposed nests are treated directly and removed where they can be reached. Nests inside a wall, a soffit or a ground burrow are treated in the cavity, so the treatment reaches the colony rather than just the workers at the entrance. We never seal the opening first. A sealed colony does not die in place. It chews through to wherever it can, and that is often the inside of the house. Once activity has stopped, the entry point can be closed so the void is not reused next year.

Wasps and hornets do not reuse a nest. The colony dies off with the first hard frosts and only new queens survive the winter, tucked into bark, siding and attic insulation. Removing an old nest in winter is simple. What matters more is the queen that emerges in spring, which is why the sheltered spots and gaps around a house are worth a look during the free inspection.