Wasp and Yellowjacket Removal in Vallejo, CA

When to call for wasp nest removal

Not every wasp needs a call. A few paper wasps on a far fence in spring can be left alone. Call when:

• The nest is near a door, window, deck, play set, pool or walkway
• Yellowjackets are flying in and out of a hole in the ground, a wall, a vent or the eaves
• You hear buzzing or chewing inside a wall or ceiling
• Someone in the home is allergic to stings
• The nest is high up, hard to reach or bigger than a softball
• You have been stung, or your pets keep getting stung in the yard

Yellowjacket colonies grow all summer. A nest that had a few dozen wasps in June can have thousands by late August, and that is when they get most defensive. The earlier the call, the easier the job.

Is it a wasp, a yellowjacket or a bee?

If it is fuzzy and brown, it is probably a bee. Bees need different handling, and honey bees should be saved where possible. See bee removal in Vallejo.

Yellowjackets in Vallejo: the late-summer problem

Yellowjackets are the stinging insect behind most calls in Vallejo. Western yellowjackets usually nest underground, often in an old gopher or rodent burrow in a lawn, garden bed, under a shrub or on a hillside. You may not know a nest is there until you mow over it.

By late summer and early fall, colonies are at their biggest and their natural food is running low. That is when they show up at every barbecue, picnic table and trash can. If you have been to Blue Rock Springs Park, the waterfront or a backyard party in September and had yellowjackets in your soda can, you have seen it.

They stay active until the first cold, wet weather in late fall. Then the workers die off and only new queens survive the winter, hidden in sheltered spots, to start new nests in spring.

Homes in Hiddenbrooke, Glen Cove and North Vallejo that back onto open hills see a lot of ground nests, because the hills are full of old burrows. If you also have gophers digging the yard, see gopher control in Vallejo.

Why you should not handle a yellowjacket nest yourself

Every summer people get badly stung trying to deal with a ground nest. A few things go wrong often:

• Pouring gasoline or boiling water into the hole. Dangerous, bad for your soil, and rarely kills the whole nest. The survivors come out angry.
• Plugging a hole in a wall or the ground. Yellowjackets trapped in a wall can chew through drywall and come out inside the house.
• Spraying from a ladder. A swarm of defensive wasps and a ladder is a bad mix.
• Using a store spray in daylight. Most of the colony is out foraging and comes back to a nest that is now under attack.

If someone in your home is allergic, do not try it at all.

How our wasp and yellowjacket removal works

1. Ask and assess. We ask where the nest is, how active it is and whether anyone is allergic. On site, we find the nest entrance and look for any other nests nearby.
2. Protective gear. We work in full protective gear so the treatment is done right the first time.
3. Treat the nest directly. For ground and wall nests, we apply a product directly into the nest entrance so the workers carry it through the colony. For eave and tree nests, we treat and remove the nest once it is no longer active.
4. Wall and attic nests. We treat through the entry point and tell you if the nest material needs to be removed or the entry sealed after the colony is gone. We do not seal a hole while live wasps are still inside.
5. Clean up and prevent. We remove reachable nests, point out where wasps are likely to build again (eaves, vents, shed corners) and tell you when it is safe to seal those spots.

We will tell you what product we used, where it went and how long to keep kids and pets away from the area.

Keep wasps and yellowjackets away from your yard

• Cover food and drinks outside. Use lids on cups and cans in late summer.
• Keep trash and recycling bins closed and rinse out cans and bottles.
• Pick up fallen fruit from plum, apple and fig trees.
• Feed pets indoors or pick up bowls right after meals.
• Seal gaps in eaves, vents and siding in late winter, before queens start new nests.
• Fill old rodent holes in the yard in early spring so yellowjacket queens have fewer places to nest.
• Knock down small paper wasp nests early in spring, at night, if you are not allergic and the nest is reachable without a ladder.

Stung? What to do

Move away from the nest calmly. Wash the sting with soap and water and use a cold pack. Yellowjackets do not leave a stinger, but honey bees do, so scrape a bee stinger out with a fingernail or card.

Call 911 right away if anyone has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, dizziness or many stings at once. For questions about a sting, California Poison Control is at 1-800-222-1222.

What does wasp nest removal cost in Vallejo?

The price depends on the type of wasp, where the nest is (ground, eave, tree, wall or attic), how big and active it is, how high it is, and whether there is more than one nest. A single paper wasp nest under an eave is a quick job. A yellowjacket nest inside a wall takes more work.

We assess first and give you a clear price before we start. For more on pricing, see our Vallejo pest control cost guide.