Wasp & Bee Nest Removal · Cambridge

Wasp and Bee Nest Removal in Cambridge

A yellowjacket nest in a wall or in the ground defends itself, and the person on the ladder with a can is the target. And not everything that buzzes is a wasp. Knowing the difference is the first part of the job.

Wasp calls in Cambridge start in June, peak in August and September and stop with the first hard frost. Galt's century homes get nests in the porch ceilings, the cornices, the wall voids behind loose limestone and the eaves of the detached garage. Preston and Hespeler's post-war houses and the 1970s-80s streets get them in aluminum soffits, unscreened gable vents and behind the fascia. The newer subdivisions off Franklin and in north Hespeler get ground nests in the fresh landscaping and paper wasps under the deck rail. And the rural properties toward Ayr, Blair and Branchton get all of it plus nests in the barn, the shed and old rodent burrows in the field edge.

Wasp, hornet or bee: it matters

• Paper wasps build the open, umbrella-shaped comb you can see hanging under a soffit, a deck rail or a light fixture. Less aggressive, small exposed nest.
• Yellowjackets nest out of sight: in a wall void, behind the fascia, in the ground along a foundation planting, under a shed, in an old rodent burrow. A steady line of traffic in and out of one hole. Aggressive, worse through late summer, and the nest most people get stung dealing with.
• Bald-faced hornets build the grey papery football nest hanging in a tree or off the corner of the house, and defend a wide area around it.
• Honey bees are golden-brown, fuzzy, and either a hanging swarm on a branch in spring or a colony that has moved into a wall, a chimney or a soffit with a steady, calm traffic of bees carrying pollen. They are not treated here.
• Bumble bees are large, fuzzy, slow and nest in the ground or in an old mouse nest in insulation. They are usually left alone.

Honey bees and bumble bees

Honey bees are not a pest and are not killed. If the inspection finds a honey bee swarm hanging on a branch, you are told and pointed toward a local beekeeper, who will often collect it. If a honey bee colony has moved into a wall or chimney, that is still a beekeeper's job first, because killing a colony in a wall leaves honey and comb behind to melt, rot, stain the wall and attract wax moths, ants and the next swarm. Bumble bees in the ground or a soffit are usually left alone unless the nest is somewhere genuinely hazardous — beside a daycare door, in a wheelchair ramp — and that is discussed case by case. Solitary ground bees in a lawn in spring are harmless and go away on their own in a few weeks.

How a wasp or hornet nest is treated

The technician arrives with protective gear, extension equipment and products registered for wasp control, and treats the nest at the nest. A soffit or wall-void nest is treated at the entrance with a dust or aerosol the workers carry into the colony. A ground nest is treated directly into the hole. An exposed hornet nest in a tree is treated from a distance and removed once the colony is dead. Early morning or evening, when the workers are inside, gives the best result. You are asked to keep children and pets inside and away from the treated area until the technician says it is clear, usually the same day.

Do not seal the hole

The most common mistake with a yellowjacket nest in a wall is caulking the entrance. The wasps do not die; they chew a new way out, and in a Galt century home with lath-and-plaster walls the new way is often into the bedroom through a light fixture or the gap around a window frame. The nest is treated first and the entrance sealed only after the colony is dead. The technician tells you when.

Nests in walls and the question of removal

A dead paper wasp or hornet nest that is exposed gets taken down. A yellowjacket nest inside a wall void or soffit usually stays where it is; wasps do not reuse an old nest, the paper dries out and causes no harm, and opening a wall to remove it costs more than it is worth. A honey bee colony in a wall is the exception, which is why it goes to a beekeeper and often a carpenter.

Stopping next year's nest

A queen picks a spot in spring. The same soffit gap, gable vent, cornice or deck corner that worked this year will be attractive next year. After the treatment you are told what to screen or seal once the season is over: gable and soffit vents with insect mesh, the gap behind the fascia, holes in the mortar, the space under a deck rail cap. Filling old rodent burrows and keeping mulch back from the foundation reduces ground nests. On a farm property, the barn eaves and the shed are worth a look in May before the nests are established.

Allergies and stings

Anyone in the household with a known sting allergy should say so when booking. The visit is scheduled so that person is not around, and the technician confirms the area is clear before anyone goes back outside. Multiple stings, a sting inside the mouth or throat, or any difficulty breathing after a sting is a medical emergency.

Ontario's rules

Ontario restricts cosmetic pesticide use, but controlling wasps and hornets that threaten people is a health and safety matter, and licensed technicians use products registered for that purpose. The Ontario government's pesticides page explains the rules and the licensing.

Frequently asked questions

Serving Cambridge and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.