HORNETS

Apex Pest and Lawn is your Professional Hornets Exterminators along the Wasatch Front.

Problems with stinging insects are normally controllable under professional care. At times, the removal of these pest can be quite challenging depending on the nest location.

Our treatment goal is to stop a problem at its source so it doesn’t keep coming back. Using state-of-the art equipment and methods, our licensed exterminators will inspect your home’s environment and construction to identify the problem and determine the best course of action. Contact us today!

Stinging Pest Basics:

Stinging insects we see in our area will be either social or solitary insects, the difference being whether the individual members aid in the building of the nests as a collective group or act solely in the nesting and egg laying. The social insects will normally cause the most concern as the group will defend its territory as a unit causing repeated stings. Proper identification of the pest will determine the best treatment options.

Call us for extermination of your wasp, bee, or hornet problem today. We can help with the extermination of all these pest from your property with the exception of the honey bee. The honey bee calls are referred to local bee keeps as these beneficial insects have been in decline in recent years and we do not kill them.

Paper Wasps

Paper Wasps (or umbrella wasps ) are often confused with Yellow jackets but their nesting habits are different, with smaller nests. These wasps normally build an exposed nest under the overhangs of buildings or in sheltered areas such as under decks, or behind shutters. They are not as aggressive as yellow jackets but they will defend their territory if provoked and their sting can be painful. In the spring, they emerge from hibernation and look for suitable nesting sites. These nests can be found on many homes or commercial buildings behind trim boards or soffits.

Paper wasp nests tend not to as large as hornet or yellow jacket nests however there are usually many nests within a property. Like many other social wasps, the paper wasp will feed on many insect pests of gardens. Unfortunately, paper wasps will also feed on fruits, and will scrape wood from houses to make their nests.

Yellow Jackets

ellow jackets are yellow and black, measuring ½ inches long and they are a type of wasp and do not pollinate like paper wasps, they build multi-layered hives that can be either exposed or within a void such as a hollow log or a wall of a home, except these nest tend to be much larger than the paper wasp’s. The nest will grow exponentially as the season progresses until it peaks between August and October. Yellow Jackets tend to be more aggressive during the later part of summer and into early fall as the populations reaches their peak. The nest will eventually die off in late fall to early winter and the new queens will leave the colony and overwinter in suitable locations

Often times these wasps will nest above a ceiling which can be evidenced by staining that looks like a water spot. However don’t remove the wallboard as it is most likely the only barrier between you and them. It is very common for the Yellow Jackets to go unnoticed all summer and then suddenly break through the ceiling sheet rock and fill a room. If you are allergic to stings, this wasp can be deadly. Colonies can have several thousand individuals and will sting any unprotected persons in the area. We can eliminate them with a one-time service.

Bald Faced Hornets

Bald Faced Hornets are black and white and just under an inch long. They are social insects which live in aerial, grayish paper nests, shaped similar to an inverted pear. These nests are attached to tree branches or a recessed sheltered surface on a building. There may be several hundred hornets in this nest and when disturbed they will attack and sting anything around.

Bald-faced hornets are predators that feed on many other pest insects; thus they are beneficial by helping to control pest insect populations. However, if the nest is located close to the ground and near an occupied structure or recreational area, then control is warranted. Removing their nest is the only way to effectively eliminate a hornet colony. This should only be done by an experienced professional as the danger of stings is considerable. Proper protective clothing and equipment are required.

Digger Wasps

There are various species of wasps that construct nests or burrows in the ground. These digger wasps are solitary wasps that place paralyzed insects or spiders inside the nest as food for their offspring. Although they are generally not aggressive, these beneficial insects can quickly become a nuisance in the wrong locations.

Their low hovering and circling activity is unnerving to people and pets. Since these digger wasps are large, with common species over 1 inch in length, they look menacing, infestations will start small with a few dozen individuals but can grow to thousands within a few years. In addition their nesting holes will become unsightly. They holes are about the size of a quarter and can extend into the ground about 24 inches . At the end of this nest, the female wasp deposits 1 egg along with captured insects for the wasp grub. This grub will mature next season and start the cycle again. One common and very large species of digger wasp is the cicada killer and it can have a size of up to 2 inches.

Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees typically resemble bumblebees but can be ½” to 1″ long, however depending on the species and sex, some can be a bluish-black. Either way the bodies will appear hairy. These bees get their name from their ability to drill through wood. They are solitary insects and build nests only for themselves and feed their own young. They are able to sting multiple times as their stingers are not barbed.

Carpenter bees are beneficial because they pollinate plants that are ignored by Honeybees. However, The female bee will bore through wood to lay eggs and protect their larvae as they develop. This can will cause severe damage to structures. Treatment for this bee would include a direct application of Residual Insecticide to prevent eggs and larvae from maturing.

Mud Daubers

These solitary wasps are named for their ability to construct small nests of mud in or around homes, porches, sheds, and under open structures. They are long and slender with a narrow, thread-like waist about 3/4″ long. Some are a solid steel blue or black but others have additional yellow markings. These wasps do not defend their nests in the way social wasps do and are a much less aggressive than species than yellow jackets.

These wasps will roll mud into a ball and fashion out a nest with their mandibles. After completing the nest, the female captures and paralyzes insects or spiders as food for the soon to hatch larvae. A single egg is deposited on the prey within each cell, and the cell is sealed. After finishing several nest cells, the wasp will abandon the nest. The larvae that hatch from the eggs will feed on the prey. New adult wasps emerge to start the process over again.