Wasp & Hornet Nest Removal · Kitchener

Wasp and Hornet Nest Removal in Kitchener

A wasp nest is the one pest job where doing it yourself goes wrong fast. A yellowjacket nest in a wall or in the ground defends itself, and the person on the ladder with a can is the target.

Wasp calls in Kitchener start in June, peak in August and September, and stop with the first hard frost. The houses that get them are the frame subdivisions of the 1960s through 80s — Forest Heights, Stanley Park, Heritage Park, Country Hills — where the soffits are aluminum or vinyl, the gable vents were never screened, and the gap behind the fascia board is exactly what a queen is looking for in May. Newer houses in Doon South and Huron Park get ground nests in the fresh landscaping and paper wasps under the deck rail. Downtown, the older houses get nests in the porch ceiling, the wall voids behind loose brick and the eaves of the detached garage.

Which wasp you have matters

• Paper wasps build the open, umbrella-shaped comb you can see hanging under a soffit, a deck rail or a light fixture. They are less aggressive and the nest is usually small and exposed.
• Yellowjackets nest out of sight: in a wall void, behind the fascia, in the ground along a foundation planting, under a shed or in an old rodent burrow. You see a steady line of traffic in and out of one hole. These are the aggressive ones, they get worse through late summer, and they are the nest most people get stung dealing with.
• Bald-faced hornets build the grey, papery football nest hanging in a tree, a shrub or off the corner of the house. They defend a wide area around it.

Honey bees are not wasps and are not treated. If the inspection finds a honey bee swarm or a colony in a wall, you will be told and pointed toward a beekeeper, because killing a honey bee colony in a wall also leaves the honey and comb behind to rot and attract everything else.

How the 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 that 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 then removed once the colony is dead. Timing matters: 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 the new way is often into the house 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. Where the nest is behind drywall inside a heated room and has been there for months, that is discussed case by case.

Stopping next year's nest

A queen picks a spot in spring. The same soffit gap, gable vent 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, and the space under a deck rail cap. In Forest Heights and Stanley Park that is often a half-day of handyman work that ends a yearly problem. Filling old rodent burrows and keeping mulch back from the foundation reduces ground nests.

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 during treatment, 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, not something to wait on.

Ontario's rules

Ontario restricts cosmetic pesticide use, but controlling wasps and hornets that threaten people is treated as 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 Kitchener and surrounding areas. Contact us for a no-obligation quote specific to your property.