Stinging insect calls are the most urgent ones we get, and the ones where doing it yourself goes wrong most often. A can of hornet spray from the hardware store does not reach a nest inside a wall void, and a ground nest of yellow jackets will defend itself against a garden hose. Here is how to tell what you have and what we do about it.
Stinging Insects in Indiana
Paper Wasps
Slender, long-legged, brown or reddish with yellow markings. They build small, open, umbrella-shaped nests under eaves, deck rails, porch ceilings, and inside grills and mailboxes. Not especially aggressive unless the nest is disturbed, but a nest by the front door gets disturbed a lot.
Yellow Jackets
Compact, bright yellow and black, and the most aggressive stinging insect in Indiana. They nest in the ground, in wall voids, in attics, and behind siding, and a mature late-summer nest can hold thousands. They sting repeatedly and are drawn to food and drinks at outdoor gatherings in August and September.
Bald-Faced Hornets
Black and white, larger than a yellow jacket, and builders of the large gray paper nests that hang from tree limbs, shrubs, and the corners of buildings. Very defensive of the nest. These are the football-shaped nests people discover in September when the leaves thin out.
European Hornets
Large, brown and yellow, and active at night around porch lights. They nest in hollow trees, barns, and wall voids and can chew through drywall if a nest is inside a wall.
Carpenter Bees
Look like bumble bees with a shiny black abdomen. They drill perfectly round half-inch holes into unpainted wood: deck rails, fascia boards, fence posts, play sets. Years of tunneling weakens the wood and attracts woodpeckers that do more damage going after the larvae.
Signs of a Nest
- Steady traffic in and out of one spot: a gap in siding, a soffit vent, a hole in the ground, a crack in a retaining wall
- Wasps inside the house in late summer, which usually means a wall or attic nest has found a way through
- Round holes in wood with sawdust below them and a bee hovering nearby, which is carpenter bees
- A buzzing sound from inside a wall or ceiling
- A gray paper nest visible in a tree, under an eave, or in a shrub
Never seal a hole that wasps are using
If yellow jackets or hornets are entering a wall void and you plug the hole, they will chew their way out through the drywall into the house. Leave the entrance open and call us. We treat the nest first, then close the gap.
How We Treat Stinging Pests
- Identify the species and locate the nest. Where the nest is and what built it determines the product, the timing, and the protective equipment. Honey bees are handled differently; if it turns out to be a honey bee colony, tell us and we will talk through the options.
- Treat the nest directly. Aerial nests, ground nests, and wall-void nests each get a targeted application that reaches the colony, not just the workers at the entrance.
- Remove the nest where accessible. Removing paper nests and hornet nests prevents re-use and stops the smell that draws in other insects. Wall-void nests are left to dry out after treatment and the entrance is sealed on a follow-up.
- Carpenter bee treatment. We treat the galleries, then recommend plugging and painting or staining the wood, which is the only thing that stops next year's bees from reusing the holes.
- Preventive eave and soffit treatment. In spring, before queens establish nests, a treatment along eaves, soffits, and deck undersides stops most paper wasp nests before they start. This is part of the Comprehensive and Standard plans.
What You Can Do Before We Arrive
- Keep people and pets away from the nest area and mark ground nests so no one mows over them.
- Do not spray it yourself unless it is a small paper wasp nest you can reach safely at dusk. Anything in a wall, in the ground, or larger than your fist is a job for us.
- Note where the traffic is going in and out. The entrance is not always where the nest is.
- Tell us about allergies. If anyone in the home has a sting allergy, we prioritize the visit.
Keeping Them From Coming Back
Nests are not reused year to year, but the same eaves, decks, and soffit gaps get chosen again by new queens. Sealing gaps in siding and soffits, keeping trash cans closed, and a spring preventive treatment under the Comprehensive or Standard plan keeps a property from becoming a yearly problem. Carpenter bee damage stops when bare wood is painted or stained.
Stinging Pests Questions
Stinging insect calls are treated as priority. Same-day or next-day service is usually available during the season, and we will tell you when you call.
Honey bees are handled case by case and differently from wasps and hornets. If you are not sure what you have, describe it or send a photo before anything is treated.
No. Nests are abandoned each fall and the colony dies except for new queens, who start fresh nests in spring. But the same sheltered spots get chosen again, which is what the spring preventive treatment is for.
Usually not. Wall-void nests are treated through the entrance the insects are using or a small access point, and the colony dies inside. The entrance is sealed on a follow-up visit after activity has stopped.
Yes once the product has dried, typically within an hour. Your technician will tell you how long to keep the area clear and will remove the nest where it can be reached.