Bees

Click on a Pest for Identification, Information, and Treatment.

Paper Wasps

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Basic characteristics:  

Paper wasps also known as umbrella wasps, make their nests in areas such as attic vents, behind window shutters, over-hang areas along the roof line, inside the attic or other weather protected areas of the home, particularly on the sunny side of the structure. Their nests look like honey combs and are very fragile.

Time of year they are active: 

The queens are the only colony members to survive the deep frost of winter. Paper Wasp queens usually emerge from hibernation in early May and are active through mid-September. They may be seen earlier in the spring or later in the fall if the weather allows. Occasionally you may find queens emerge inside the structure in winter months on an unseasonably warm day.

The damage they can do: 

Paper wasps do no structural damage to your home. They are mainly a nuisance.  

You'll know you have paper wasps: 

Homeowners usually see the paper wasp's exposed nest in over- hanging areas. Or, they may see one or more landing and then entering a small opening. Other signs of a possible nest are wasps inside the home around windows or doors, or wasps congregating around the vents and eaves of your home.

Are they dangerous? 

Paper wasps are usually not aggressive, but will sting if they are disturbed or feel threatened.

Why are they in my home?

Paper wasps like to attach themselves to buildings for protection. Their nests are very fragile, so they try to conceal them from outside predators and weather.  

Our treatment-and our promise to you:

Our goal is to eliminate your wasp problem during our first visit. If you see further activity after the treatment, we will re-treat, free of charge, throughout the warranty period.

Our Insect Elimination Service starts with a complete inspection of your home to find the cause of your problem as well as additional nest sites. We then treat the infestation at its source. For paper wasps found in unfinished attics and eaves of buildings, we use a dust formulation. Accessible nests outside would be treated with a residual insecticide. A residual product is also used for nests found in exterior rooflines, shutters and deck rails in order to prevent future infestations/

What happens after treatment?

There may be some continuing activity around the nest as the workers who weren't in the nest at the time of the treatment return. As they come in contact with the treated areas they too will die. It may take as long as 72 hours for all activity to cease.

Year-after-year protection…

Now is a great time to protect your home for the entire season. For just a little extra, you can arrange for a Full Maintenance Program to protect your family against the threat of insects, rodents, and many other pests that can invade your home!

Yellow Jackets

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Basic characteristics: 

Yellow jackets are sometimes yellow and black, sometimes yellow and ivory. Yellow jackets are aggressive when they are disturbed or when they are building their nests. Nests are started by a queen, who will immediately begin to create a colony. As workers develop they will continue to build and guard the nest. 

Time of year they are active: 

The queens are the only members to survive the deep frost of winter. Yellow Jacket queens usually emerge from hibernation in early May and are active through mid-September. They may be seen earlier in the spring or later into the fall if the weather allows.

The damage they can do:

Yellow jackets won't cause structural damage to homes. However, if they establish their nest above a sheetrock ceiling or inside a wall void, they can damage the sheetrock as they dig to develop and expand their nest.

You'll know you have yellow jackets: 

Yellow Jackets will use any holes or "voids" to establish their nests whether in the ground, in trees or shrubs or in a structure. Many times Yellow Jackets nesting in the ground are "found" by unsuspecting homeowners while mowing their lawns. Or, a homeowner will notice a constant flow of bees emerging or entering a small opening in their home. Often the homeowner won't notice yellow jackets until a wet spot develops on their wall or ceiling. Curiosity leads them to touch the area, which breaks open the nest and releases a room full of yellow jackets!

One variety of yellow jacket builds large, exposed aerial nests in bushes or under a porch roof. This could lead to the possibility of you or your family being stung if the yellow jackets feel threatened. 

Are they dangerous? 

Many people are allergic to bee stings and those who may not know they're allergic can also have a severe reaction to yellow jacket stings. Unlike honey bees, which can only sting once, yellow jackets can sting repeatedly - and will, if their nests are disturbed.

Our treatment-and our promise to you:

Our goal is to eliminate your yellow jacket problem during our first visit. If you see more yellow jacket activity after the treatment, we will re-treat, free of charge, throughout the warranty period.

Our Insect Elimination Service starts with a complete inspection of your home to find the cause of your problem. We then treat the infestation at its source. If the nest is exposed, we inject a dust insecticide into the nest. If the nest is inside a wall void or ceiling area that is inaccessible, we inject the entrance to the nest with the same insecticide.

What happens after treatment? 
There may be some continuing activity around the nest as the workers who weren't in the nest at the time of treatment return. As they come in contact with the treated areas, they will die. It may take as long as 72 hours for all activity to cease.

Year-after-year protection…
Now is a great time to protect your home for the entire season. For just a little extra, you can arrange for a Full Maintenance Program to protect your family against the threat of insects, rodents, and many other pests that can invade your home!

Honey Bees 

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Basic characteristics: 

Honey bees are usually orange and black with a furry body.  They build their hives in a hollow space such as a hollow tree or inside the wall of a structure. Honey bees are sometimes seen swarming in large numbers whenever a queen is looking for a new place to call home. The swarm usually lasts 1 to 3 days. They are not aggressive unless they are bothered. An entire colony can survive over the winter if they have the proper protection. They will feed on the honey they've stored throughout the warm-weather months.  

Time of year they are active: 

Honey bees are usually active from April through September, and may swarm during the warmer summer months.  

The damage they can do:

The bees themselves do not cause structural damage but their honey attracts other insects and animals, which can become pests. In addition, once the bees are eliminated the honey will drip from their comb and can stain the siding of your home.

You'll know you have honey bees:

If you see bees entering and exiting from a hole or gap in the house, like a corner or a roof dormer, chances are honey bees have built a nest there. Other clues are a stain on the wall or ceiling, or scratching and buzzing noises inside a wall.

Are they dangerous?

As with any wasp or bee, anyone who is sensitive to stings should avoid areas where honey bees are active. Honey bees are rarely aggressive, however, unless they feel that their hive is threatened.

Why are they in my home?

Most bees don't like water - they avoid contact with it at all costs. So, they build their hives in secluded spots to stay dry and protected from predators.  

Our treatment-and our promise to you:

Our goal is to eliminate your insect problem during our first visit. If you see more activity after the treatment, we will re-treat, free of charge, throughout the warranty period.

Our Insect Elimination Service starts with a complete inspection of your home to find the cause of your problem. We then treat the infestation at its source. The entry hole is treated with a dust formulation. Large hives often require drilling small holes into the wall to ensure that enough dust is injected to kill the the entire colony.

What happens after treatment?

There may be some continuing activity around the nest as the workers who weren't in the nest at the time of treatment return. As they come in contact with the treated areas, they will die. It may take as long as 72 hours for all activity to cease. We recommend that you have a contractor open the wall where the nest was located, since any honey left will begin to melt and possibly cause damage to the walls or ceilings. The honey can also attract other insects.

Year-after-year protection…

Now is a great time to protect your home for the entire season. For just a little extra, you can arrange for a Full Maintenance Program to protect your family against the threat of insects, rodents, and many other pests that can invade your home!

Bumble Bee

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Basic characteristics:  

Bumble bees are yellow and black striped, with a fuzzy body. They nest in the ground or places into which they can easily burrow, like dirt, soft wood, insulation, or cracks that are already burrowed. Bumble bees are usually not aggressive, but they can sting when aggravated. An entire colony can survive over the winter if they have the proper protection. 

Time of year they are active: 

Bumble bees emerge in May and stay active until the end of September. 

The damage they can do:  

Bumble bees may burrow into your home's insulation, but generally they do not cause much damage. They are really very beneficial to the environment.  

You'll know you have bumble bees:

Wherever there is a bumble bee nest, either within a structure or outside, there will be activity from the foragers traveling to and from the nest site.

Are they dangerous?

Bumble bees are rarely aggressive but if their nest is threatened they will defend it aggressively.  Anyone with sensitivities to bee stings should take the proper precautions and avoid the area of bumble bee activity.

Why are they in my home? 

Bumble bees are usually not found in the home. They will nest in cracks of the siding or in your home's insulation. They are attracted to homes with flower gardens because they feed on the nectar. While feeding, their furry bodies transport pollen from one flower to another, which is beneficial and very important to the environment.  

Our treatment-and our promise to you:

Our goal is to eliminate your insect problem during our first visit. If you see more activity after the treatment, we will re-treat, free of charge, throughout the warranty period.

Our Insect Elimination Service starts with a complete inspection of your home to find the cause of your problem. We then treat the infestation at its source. The entry hole for the nest would be treated with a dust formulation which spreads throughout the nest.

What happens after treatment?

Bumble bees in the nest at the time of treatment will die very quickly. There may be some continuing activity around the nest as the workers who weren't in the nest at the time of treatment return.As they come into contact with the treated areas, they will die. It may take as long as 72 hours for all activity to cease.

Year-after-year protection…

Now is a great time to protect your home for the entire season. For just a little extra, you can arrange for a Full Maintenance Program to protect your family against the threat of insects, rodents, and many other pests that can invade your home! 

Carpenter Bee

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Basic characteristics: 

Carpenter bees are one of the largest bees in the Northeast. They closely resemble the Bumble Bee but are mostly blackwith only one yellowish stripe. One of the main visible differences from the Bumble Bee is that the Carpenter Bee's rear 1.3 of the body is hairless and shiny black in color. They burrow into wood to lay their eggs. Carpenter Bees are not aggressive and will only sting when bothered. Actually, only the females can sting as the males dont have stingers.

Time of year they are active:

Carpenter bees like the warm weather are usually active from May to August, usually dying off in mid-summer.  

The damage they can do:

Carpenter bees can cause quite a bit of damage around your home. They burrow into unpainted wood-like siding, decks and railings as well as outdoor wooden furniture in order to lay their eggs, often making damaging holes with many galleries.

You'll know you have carpenter bees:

Carpenter bees leave droppings near the areas they are burrowing, which are round (1/2 inch) dime-sized holes. These droppings appear as piles of fine sawdust or yellow stains on the walls either under or across from the holes being created. You may also see large bees hovering around the roofline, or hovering round your head - possibly even "dive-bombing" you. While these bees appear quite threatening, they are just protecting their territory.

Are they dangerous?

Carpenter bees are seldom dangerous. As mentioned earlier, male carpenter bees have no stingers and the females rarely use theirs. 

Why are they in my home?

Carpenter bees aren't usually found inside the home. They burrow into the wood your home is built of in place of a tree! With ever-expanding development, trees are being cleared away in large numbers. Therefore, carpenter bees must find other sources of wood to burrow into and lay their eggs. 

Our treatment-and our promise to you:

Our goal is to eliminate your insect problem during our first visit. If you see more activity after the treatment, we will re-treat, free of charge, throughout the warranty period.

Our Insect Elimination Service starts with a complete inspection of your home to find the cause of your problem. We then treat the infestation at its source. The individual holes are treated using an aerosol or dust formulation, and the exposed wood on the building is treated with a residual liquid spray to help prevent additional activity. 

What happens after treatment?

There are usually dead and dying bees found on the ground under the holes almost immediately. If some of the eggs were not destroyed by the initial treatment, you might still see dead bodies several weeks after the treatment. The residual materials used to treat the holes will remain and kill any newly emerging bees.

Year-after-year protection…

Now is a great time to protect your home for the entire season. For just a little extra, you can arrange for a Full Maintenance Program to protect your family against the threat of insects, rodents, and many other pests that can invade your home!