That nest isn’t getting smaller.
You noticed it a few weeks ago — a small grey papery thing under the eave. Now it’s the size of a football and there are wasps everywhere. Or maybe you can’t see the nest at all, but wasps keep streaming in and out of a gap in your soffit, or a hole in the ground near your back door.
Wasp nests grow fast. A colony that starts with a single queen in spring can have 5,000+ workers by late summer. And unlike bees, wasps can sting repeatedly — and they will, if they feel the nest is threatened. That includes walking too close, mowing the lawn near a ground nest, or a child’s ball hitting the eave.
This is one pest problem you really should not try to handle yourself. A wrong move near a large nest can trigger a mass stinging response. We have the protective equipment, the products, and the experience to remove the nest safely — whether it’s under your deck, in your attic, or 30 feet up on your roofline.
Types of wasp nests we deal with
- Paper wasps — open, umbrella-shaped nests hanging under eaves, deck railings, or porch ceilings. Smaller colonies but aggressive when disturbed.
- Yellow jackets — often nest underground (old rodent burrows, garden beds) or inside wall voids. Very aggressive, especially in late summer when the colony peaks.
- Bald-faced hornets — large, enclosed grey nests in trees, shrubs, or on building exteriors. Highly aggressive — they will chase you.
- Wasps entering/exiting a gap in your soffit, siding, or foundation — the nest is inside the wall void.
- Increased wasp activity around your deck, pool, barbecue, or outdoor eating area.
- Finding dead wasps inside your home — usually means a nest is inside a wall cavity or attic space.
How we remove the nest
We don’t just knock it down. Knocking down a wasp nest without killing the colony means angry wasps with no home — they’ll rebuild nearby or become extremely aggressive for days.
For visible nests (under eaves, on structures): We apply a rapid-knockdown insecticide directly into the nest entrance at the optimal time (dusk or dawn, when most workers are inside). Once the colony is dead, we physically remove the nest and seal the attachment point so a new queen doesn’t rebuild in the same spot next spring.
For ground nests (yellow jackets): We treat the entrance with a dust formulation that workers carry deep into the nest. The entrance is then monitored. Ground nests can be large — some yellow jacket colonies have 2,000-4,000 workers underground.
For wall void nests: We apply dust into the entry gap, which spreads through the colony inside the wall. We do not open the wall — the dead nest will desiccate naturally. Attempting to remove a nest from inside a wall risks spreading wasps into your living space.
For high nests: We have extension equipment that allows us to treat nests up to 30+ feet without ladders in many cases.
What to expect
- Before we arrive: Keep people and pets away from the nest area. Don’t spray it, throw things at it, or try to seal the entrance — this will agitate the colony.
- Treatment: Usually takes 30-60 minutes. We treat the nest, wait for activity to cease, and remove it if accessible. You can usually resume normal use of the area within a few hours.
- After treatment: You may see a few straggler wasps returning to where the nest was. This is normal and they’ll disperse within a day or two.
- Prevention: We can apply a residual treatment to common nesting sites (eaves, soffits, deck undersides) to discourage queens from building there the following spring.
Get a free quote for wasp nest removal
Common questions about wasp nest removal
How much does wasp nest removal cost?
Most wasp nest removals run $150-350 depending on the nest location and accessibility. Hard-to-reach nests (high roofline, inside walls) may cost more. We give you the price before we start.
Is it safe to remove a wasp nest myself?
We strongly advise against it, especially for large nests or yellow jacket ground nests. A mass stinging event can cause severe allergic reactions even in people who have never reacted before. The products available at hardware stores are also less effective and require you to stand much closer to the nest than professional equipment.
When is the best time to remove a wasp nest?
As early as possible. A nest treated in June might have 50 wasps. The same nest in August could have 5,000. If you notice a nest forming in spring, call us before it grows. That said, we remove nests at any stage of the season.
Will wasps come back to the same spot?
New queens from last year’s colony may try to build in the same location the following spring — it’s a known good nesting site. We remove all traces of the nest and can apply a preventive treatment to discourage rebuilding.
Do you remove bee nests too?
We handle honeybee situations carefully. If it’s a honeybee swarm, we’ll refer you to a local beekeeper for safe relocation. We don’t exterminate honeybees — they’re essential pollinators. Wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets are a different story.