Bees & Wasps

Identifying a bee or wasp is the first step in controlling a problem. There are three or four main types of bees/wasps you will encounter in the Pacific Northwest. Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, Paper Wasps and Yellowjackets.

All bees and wasps are beneficial as pollinators and some even control garden pests. For the most part, bees and wasps are social insects often residing in colonies. With the exception of Yellowjackets, all of the above bees/wasps nest above ground and are not aggressive. They sting only when threatened.

Yellowjackets are by far the most aggressive and make up the bulk of our customer complaints. Their colonies can be quite large and are typically in the ground. When the nest is threatened, the colony will move aggressively to defend it and will chase an intruder long distances. They can sting multiple times.

Remember those pesky bees that descended on your picnics this Summer? Adult Yellowjackets feed themselves with nectar but during the Spring and Summer will hunt or scavenge protein such as other insects, meat or carrion to feed young Yellowjacket larva back at the nest.

The queen of a given colony is the only Yellowjacket that will survive winter, hibernating in homes, outbuildings, wood piles and other places to start a new colony the following Spring season.

The nests you see in the eaves of your home and outbuildings are Paper Wasps. These wasps can be mistaken for Yellowjackets but are much less aggressive. Due to the proximity of their nests to traffic areas of your home or business, these are a common pest we control for our customers.

If you are aware of a nest at your location or if you are simply suspicious of an area on your property, please use the link below to contact us. We are happy to come out and perform a FREE inspection.