If you are experiencing high numbers of wasps in your home or garden, there is likely to be a nest nearby, either on your property, in your garden or very close by.
A mature yellowjacket nest in summer can contain thousands of wasps. It is best to treat a nest earlier in the year, before numbers increase and the wasps become more aggressive. Read on to learn how to identify different types of wasp nests by species, and find out how to remove a wasp nest.
Depending on the species, wasps and hornets build nests of varying shapes and sizes. Their nests are often constructed in sheltered locations such as attics, under eaves, or even underground. Most nests are made of chewed wood pulp, giving them a distinctive papery appearance. Worker wasps play an essential role in building and maintaining these nests, which can grow substantially over time.
If you notice wasps or hornets frequently flying around a specific area of your property, you may have a nest nearby. Look for structures that resemble paper or mud, particularly in shaded or protected areas. Wasps especially aggressive near their nests, so exercise caution when inspecting your property.
Below are several examples of different types of nests you might encounter. They will vary in size, shape, color, material, and location, but it's important to have an idea of what you're seeing to take the most appropriate action to remove them.
Paper wasps are among the most recognizable species, thanks to their umbrella-shaped nests. These nests are typically attached to exposed surfaces, such as eaves, porch ceilings, or tree branches. Made from chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva, their nests are fragile and lightweight but can house dozens of wasps.
Deciding whether to leave a paper wasp nest alone depends on its location. Paper wasps are relatively non-aggressive unless they perceive a threat to their nest. If the nest is in an area with minimal human activity, such as a remote corner of your yard, you may choose to leave it undisturbed. However, if the nest is close to doorways, patios, or high-traffic areas where wasps might forage for food, it’s best to remove it to avoid accidental stings.
Yellowjackets are notorious for their aggressive behavior and their ability to build large, hidden nests. While many yellowjackets create underground nests, others may build in wall voids, attics, or dense shrubs. These nests can house hundreds or even thousands of yellow jackets, making them particularly dangerous when disturbed.
Yellowjackets build nests that are surrounded by a papery covering, and are commonly found within wall voids or cavities in the ground. The interior of the nest can contain up to 100 tiers of cells. Yellowjackets can also nest underground, sometimes with thousands of members, but often build nests in hollow trees and under porches. If you notice a swarm of yellow jackets near a particular area, it’s likely there’s a nest nearby. Identifying and addressing the nest early can prevent a potentially hazardous infestation.
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Bald-faced hornets build nests that are covered in a papery shell and European hornets build their nests in natural cavities like tree stumps or in cavities within buildings. They consist of chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva, can grow larger than a football, and are usually at least three feet off the ground. Bald-faced hornets are highly territorial and can become aggressive if their nest is threatened.
Destroying a bald-faced hornet nest is not recommended without professional assistance. These hornets are extremely defensive and will swarm aggressively if they sense danger. Attempting to remove the nest on your own can result in multiple stings, which may be dangerous, especially if you have an allergic reaction. To ensure your safety, contact a pest control professional who has the proper tools and expertise to handle the situation.
Mud daubers construct nests using mud or clay. The nests are small, tubular mud chutes usually built either in existing cracks or crevices in masonry, stone, or timber around homes, sheds, and garages. They are small and tubular in size, often looking like organ pipes. They're built by female wasps.
Unlike other wasps, mud daubers are not aggressive and typically pose minimal risk to humans.
Mud daubers are generally considered beneficial insects. They play a role in controlling spider populations as they hunt and paralyze spiders to feed their larvae. Mud daubers rarely sting humans and are not territorial, making them a low-risk presence in most areas. Unless their nests are located in a high-traffic area, it’s often best to leave them alone.
Inside a mud dauber nest, you’ll find carefully arranged chambers filled with paralyzed spiders. These spiders serve as a food source for the mud dauber’s developing larvae. The wasp lays an egg in each chamber, ensuring that its offspring have a fresh supply of food when they hatch. While their nests may look unsightly, mud daubers do not pose the same threat as other wasps, and their nests are often harmless.
As a rule, it’s best to avoid bee, wasp, or hornet nests of all kinds. Even if the nest appears empty, there could still be lingering stinging insects inside. Some species are more aggressive than others, and it’s hard to know when or why they’ll swarm or sting. When their nests are in high-traffic areas, bees and wasps could be easily threatened and driven to defend their nest at all costs. Nests are even more dangerous in the late summer and fall as populations outgrow the nests and resources begin to dwindle.
At first, a wasp nest will start off very small.
Find out how you can help to deter wasps and prevent nests on your property.
Wasps are natural engineers. Most species build their nests from a paper-like material they make themselves by chewing up wood fibers (think fence posts, dead tree branches, or even garden furniture) and mixing it with saliva. The result is a lightweight, surprisingly strong pulp that dries into the layered, papery walls you see on a finished nest.
Different wood sources produce slightly different colors, which is why some nests have visible bands of gray, brown, or tan running through them.
Wasp nests are more organized on the inside than you might expect. Inside, you'll find hexagonal comb cells, which form the core structure of the nest and house the colony's eggs, larvae, and pupae as they develop through different life stages.
The nest is also home to the colony itself, made up mostly of adult worker wasps that tend to the nest and forage for food, along with a queen who is responsible for reproduction.
The best way to manage wasps and a wasp nest is to be able to identify and locate the nest.
If you've spotted a nest on your property, it's best not to inspect or disturb it yourself, as wasps are territorial and can sting when they feel threatened. Our wasp control services can help with identification and removal.
You should not attempt to treat a nest. If you disturb a nest, you may provoke the wasps inside to attack and sting you as a form of defense.
At Ehrlich, we offer a professional wasp nest treatment service to protect you from harmful stings by eliminating the nest.
Even if the wasp or hornet nest is small, it’s never smart to try to get rid of them yourself. As mentioned previously, nests are likely to contain more stinging insects than you think, which can be very dangerous. It’s recommended to enlist the help of a wasp exterminator whenever you need a nest bigger than the size of a fist removed. Safe wasp and hornet nest removal requires the expertise and precision of a specialist, which is why you should always call your local experts.
When a wasp nest is removed, wasps will sense a threat and can show aggression, so they may sting you in an attempt to guard the nest and young wasps. To eliminate wasps, the nest does not need to be removed; it and the wasps need to be treated.
To lessen the risk of being stung, schedule a wasp nest treatment with Ehrlich. Our technicians will get rid of the wasps and help you stay protected from them. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for us to inspect your wasp issue.
Whether to remove a wasp nest depends on its location and the species involved. If the nest is in a low-traffic area and belongs to non-aggressive wasps like mud daubers or paper wasps, it may be safe to leave it alone. These wasps can help by controlling other pests as they forage.
However, removal is recommended to prevent potential stings if the nest is near an entryway, playground, or another high-traffic area. Yellow jackets, for example, are highly aggressive and will defend their hive vigorously. Always contact a trained professional to deal with the nest safely.
Most wasp nests last from spring through to fall. Queens start building in spring, colonies grow through summer, and by late fall, the nest is abandoned as temperatures drop and the colony dies off. The nest itself won't be reused the following year, though a new queen may build close to the same spot.
The number of wasps varies by species. Paper wasp colonies are relatively small, typically housing a few dozen wasps. Yellowjacket nests are much larger, with colonies that can reach anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand workers by late summer. Hornet colonies tend to fall somewhere in between, usually numbering in the hundreds.
The later in the season it is, the more wasps you're likely to find inside a nest.
It depends on the species and the colony's size. A queen wasp starts building alone in spring, creating a small nest about the size of a golf ball within the first few weeks. As the colony grows, the whole process, from that first papery cell to a fully developed nest, can take until fall.
Most wasp species build away from the elements. That's why nests turn up in overhangs, eaves, roof spaces, and trees. Height matters too; building up high keeps the colony safer from ground-level predators.
That said, not every wasp nests above ground. Yellowjackets, for example, often build underground in old rodent burrows or in wall voids, making them harder to spot until the colony is well established.
When dealing with a wasp nest, there are several actions to avoid:
Nests tucked inside walls or under eaves are some of the trickier ones to deal with. The safest approach is to leave it to the professionals to avoid the risk of getting stung. Our technicians are trained to treat nests in hard-to-reach locations, using the right equipment and methods for the specific species and nest site.
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