Stinging Insect Control in Southern Maryland

Stinging insects around the home

Paper wasps build umbrella-shaped nests under eaves and railings. Yellow jackets often nest in the ground or inside wall voids and become aggressive late in summer. Bald-faced hornets build large gray nests in trees and shrubs. For anyone with an allergy, a nest near a doorway or play area is a real safety concern.

Carpenter bees are a different problem. They rarely sting, but they drill round holes into exposed wood like fascia, trim, decks and porch ceilings, and they return to the same wood year after year.

How Home Fixer handles it

• Locate and identify. We find the nest, including hidden ground and wall-void nests, and confirm the species.
• Treat and remove. We treat and remove nests using protective equipment and methods suited to the location.
• Seal wall voids. When insects nest inside a wall, we seal the opening after treatment so they cannot rebuild there.
• Carpenter bee repairs. We treat active galleries and, as a licensed Maryland Home Improvement Contractor, repair and seal damaged wood.

About honey bees

Honey bees are valuable pollinators. If you have a honey bee swarm or colony, let us know. Where possible, the best outcome is to have the bees relocated by a local beekeeper rather than treated.

Know what you are dealing with

• Paper wasps build open, umbrella-shaped nests under eaves, railings and deck boards.
• Yellow jackets nest in the ground, in wall voids and in shrubs, and colonies grow large and defensive by late summer.
• Bald-faced hornets build enclosed gray paper nests in trees, shrubs and on buildings.
• Carpenter bees look like bumblebees with shiny black abdomens and bore into exposed wood.
• Cicada killers are large ground-nesting wasps that look intimidating but rarely sting people.

Late summer and early fall are when yellow jacket and hornet colonies are at their largest, so nests found then deserve extra caution.

Nests inside wall voids need special care, because sealing the opening from outside can drive the insects into the living space.

What to do now

Keep children and pets away from the nest, do not spray or block a nest yourself, and never seal a wall-void nest from the inside. Request service or call or text (301) 659-0300.