Hornet control is essential if you have a nest on your property. Hornets are an aggressive type of wasp that delivers a painful sting when threatened. And, unlike bees, hornets can sting multiple times. They are related to yellow jackets and look similar with their yellow and black markings and typical constricted waist. Generally, hornets are larger with a decisively larger head.
Like all living creatures, hornets look for environments that provide shelter, food, and water. If you have a healthy insect population on your property and have trees, sheds, eaves, and an attic that could provide a sheltered and undisturbed spot for a nest, you might attract hornets. Since hornets are hostile, with sting reactions ranging from pain and swelling to difficulty breathing if one is allergic or stung many times, call Critter Control immediately for hornet nest removal services.
How Professionals Remove Hornets
Professionals will use various methods for hornet nest removal that depend upon the species of hornet, the size of the nest, its location, and the time of year. A Critter Control specialist will first inspect your home and property to assess the situation and then create a custom solution for their removal and provide you with an estimate. The estimate will also include repairs of any exterior or interior damage the hornets caused.
Removing a hornet’s nest on your own is ill-advised, as their stings are intense and could result in a serious medical reaction. In addition, the chemicals needed to eradicate hornets can be toxic.
Signs of a Hornet Infestation
The first signs of a hornet infestation are usually seeing hornets flying around your property or finding hornets in your home. If you’re seeing even a few hornets, it’s time to look for these other signs:
- A large egg-shaped nest that looks like it’s made of paper. You will usually find nests attached to a tree, bush, under eaves, in your attic, or even in a wall cavity.
- Lots of buzzing in a specific location of your yard can be a sign of a nest nearby. It is common to hear them before you find the nest.
- Damage to wood on your porch, deck, fencing, or house siding is a sign that hornets are chewing at the wood to make the pulp for their nest.
- Dark spots on or within your walls signal that hornets may be building a nest in a hollow wall space. European hornets especially prefer to build their nests in dark places like walls or attics.
Hornet Trapping
Hornet nest removal on your own is risky because of how aggressive they are and the potential serious side effects of their stings.
Hornet traps are available online and at retail stores and are effective at lowering their population but not eliminating it. Some homeowners make their own traps with a plastic soda bottle, sugar water, or dish soap. Both store-bought or homemade traps should be placed or hung in an area where hornet activity is high. The hornets are attracted by the sweet liquid and will enter the bottle but won’t be able to fly out again.
How to remove hornets on your own should include a great deal of precaution as you’ll want to put your traps away from family traffic to avoid stings. Also of note is that the sugary bait might have the opposite effect of attracting more hornets instead of getting rid of them.
Critter Control has over 40 years of experience getting rid of all kinds of infestations, including hornets.
Hornet Control and Prevention
Hornets will not use the same nest from year to year, but if the location is prime for hornet life, they could return to the same area and build a new nest. That is why it’s imperative to use exclusion methods to make your property less attractive to them. Here’s how:
- Seal cracks and gaps in walls, eaves, and vents to prevent hornets from being able to enter your home.
- Inspect your yard regularly in the spring season for nest-building activity.
- Reduce sources of food for them by keeping trash and compost bins sealed tightly. In addition, clean up promptly after cooking and eating outdoors to avoid attracting hornets.
- Add a fake hornet nest to your yard. You can make one using a stuffed brown paper bag and hanging it from a branch or shed. Hornets are territorial and will not build a nest in another hornet’s territory.
- Keep trees and bushes well-trimmed to eliminate potential nesting sites and clean up any rotted wood around your yard, as it makes great nest-building material.
- Minimize standing water on your property. Hornets utilize water to build their nests.
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Roughly 3/4 of an inch to two inches in length, hornets are one of the largest types of wasps. Their coloration varies from light yellow to white mixed with black stripes. The pests have sturdy, robust bodies, big heads, and rounded abdomens.
When trying to identify a hornet vs. a wasp, the differences can be subtle. Hornets are larger than wasps. There are variations in their coloring, too. Some wasps are black and yellow, but some species can be black and orange. Wasps are also more slender than hornets.
Hornets are attracted to habitats that are close to a continuous supply of food and that provide them protection. This includes backyards, parks, gardens, and wooded areas. They are partial to a temperate climate, which is found in much of the United States. European hornets are the only true hornets found in the U.S. There has been some talk about murder hornets, but they have not been recorded in the U.S. since 2021.
Different species of hornets have different nesting preferences. These stinging pests build their nests in sheltered locations such as trees, shrubs, under house eaves, or in holes in the ground. Hornets make a pulpy paper-like material out of leaves and wood to build their nests. These hives range from a few inches in diameter to the size of a basketball and are often located in trees, bushes, or hanging from the side of buildings. Colonies can get as large as 700 workers during late summer.
Hornets often construct their nests in the protected areas provided by sheds, porches, and roof eaves. They’ll then enter the living areas of your home through gaps in house siding or open windows and doors. Sometimes, hornet colonies will even set up nests inside homes, such as in attics or wall voids.
The more hornets you have in your home, the more likely it is that the nest is close by. A walk around your home and property can reveal the location of the nest, but they are sometimes hard to locate. It is best to call Critter Control to keep you and your family safe from stings.
A hornet’s nest needs to be eliminated quickly and with the utmost care. Before you or someone in your family gets stung, call Critter Control. Critter Control will not only eliminate the nest but also put together a plan for making your property less attractive to hornets.
To make your lawn less favorable to hornets, you should keep your grass short and trim bushes and trees with regularity. Inspect your porch and other common nesting areas around your home to catch infestations before they grow too large. Additionally, seal any gaps in windows and window screens and keep gutters and eaves in top shape.
The best way to permanently get rid of hornets is to apply a combination of removing their nests, exclusion, and periodic inspections. Once you call Critter Control for an inspection, your specialist will put together a complete plan for getting rid of hornets, making your property less attractive to them, fixing vulnerabilities in your home that allow hornets to get in, and restoring your home to its original condition if damaged by hornets.
Exclusion activities such as sealing gaps in your home, keeping your lawn and plantings trimmed, and eliminating outdoor food sources are good homeowner practices for discouraging not only hornets but almost every other pest that plagues homes.
The short answer is yes. However, hornets will aggressively defend their nest. You risk getting stung multiple times by many hornets and suffering from the pain, swelling, and potentially more serious side effects. When you have a hornet infestation, Call Critter Control. They have the experience and expertise to safely remove hornet nests from anywhere in your home or on your property.
If you do try to remove a hornet nest, wear protective clothing, wait until after dark when they are less active, and spray a store-bought hornet insecticide directly into the nest. Wait 24 hours and check on activity. Remove the nest and seal it in a plastic bag for refuse.
Many pests, including hornets, hate the smell of lavender, mint, rosemary, vinegar, and citrus. However, putting these plants close to a nest will not eliminate the hornets. They will quickly get used to the scent.
Calling a professional hornet removal company is the best way to get rid of hornets. Critter Control is uniquely qualified to handle humane stinging insect pest control of even the most difficult hornet infestations and always provides a customer satisfaction guarantee with their work.
Costs will vary depending on the location and severity of your infestation. Critter Control, upon inspection, will put together a comprehensive plan and cost estimate for eliminating, excluding, and restoring damage made by hornets.