Emergency Wasp and Hornet Removal in Media and Delaware County, PA

When is a wasp or hornet nest an emergency?

A nest turns urgent when people have to pass close to it, when stinging insects are getting inside, or when someone in the home is allergic. Late summer is the risky stretch here: yellow jacket and hornet colonies peak in August and September, and workers defend a big nest harder than a small one.

Local conditions explain why so many of these calls come from the same kinds of houses. Wooded lots along Ridley, Crum and Chester creeks give hornets limbs and hollow trees for nests, older homes with loose soffits and cedar shake give yellow jackets ready-made wall voids, and dry August lawns are where ground colonies grow largest.

• A nest above or beside an entry door, garage door or deck stairs
• Wasps appearing indoors, often from a nest in a wall void, attic or chimney chase
• A ground nest in the lawn, play area or along a walkway
• A nest inside a hedge or shrub you trim or mow beside
• Several stings at once, or a household member with a sting allergy

What to do right now if wasps or hornets are close

1. 1

   Call 911 for a serious reaction

   If someone who was stung has trouble breathing, swelling of the lips, face or throat, or feels faint, call 911 immediately.

2. 2

   Get everyone indoors

   Bring kids and pets inside, close windows on that side of the house and use a different entrance.

3. 3

   Don't plug the hole

   Sealing a wall-void entrance traps the colony, and yellow jackets will chew through drywall to find a new way out, often into a living space.

4. 4

   Wasps inside: isolate the room

   Close the interior door, turn off the lights in that room and open a window or outside door so they head toward daylight.

5. 5

   Leave sprays, fire and the hose alone

   Soaking, burning or spraying a nest up close sets off a defensive swarm and rarely kills the whole colony.

6. 6

   Mark the spot and call

   Note where the nest is and where the insects go in and out, then call us with a photo taken from a distance.

Yellow jacket, hornet or paper wasp: which one is it?

A photo taken from a safe distance usually settles the question on the phone. For a nest that isn't urgent, our hornet nest removal page goes deeper into hornets.

How our emergency wasp removal works on arrival

1. 1

   Safety and allergy check

   We ask who has been stung and who is allergic, and make sure everyone is inside before we approach.

2. 2

   Find every entrance

   Wall and ground nests often have more than one opening, so we locate each before treating.

3. 3

   Free inspection and quote

   You get the treatment plan and the price in writing before we begin.

4. 4

   Treat the nest

   Wearing protective gear and working outside the flight path, we apply treatment directly into the nest or its entrance.

5. 5

   Take down what can be reached

   Exposed nests in shrubs and eaves can usually come down once activity stops; nests sealed inside walls are left to dry out.

6. 6

   Explain the stragglers

   Foragers that were away return for a day or so. We tell you when it's safe to seal the entrance and use that door again.

How fast can we get there, and what will it cost?

We're open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week. Same-day nest calls are often possible when the schedule allows, so call early; a morning call about a nest over the front steps has a far better shot than one at 6 p.m. After 7, keep everyone clear and use another door overnight.

Once the free inspection is done, the price is in writing and agreed before any treatment. Ask on the call if you'd like to know how urgent visits are priced. These details move the quote:

• Species and colony size
• Nest height, and whether a tall ladder is needed to reach it
• Nests inside walls, soffits or chimneys versus exposed nests
• The number of nests on the property
• Taking the nest down after treatment, if you want it gone
• A return visit for late-season activity

Pennsylvania pesticide rules for stinging insect nests

Treating a nest is a pesticide application, so in Pennsylvania it falls under the Pesticide Control Act of 1973. The Department of Agriculture (PDA) licenses pest control businesses and certifies applicators, and 7 Pa. Code § 128.31 requires the business license number on service vehicles; ask for it if you do not see it.

Store-bought wasp sprays are pesticides too, and federal law makes it a violation to use one in a way its label does not allow, such as spraying into a wall void or indoors when the label says otherwise. If the nest is on public school grounds, Act 35 of 2002 requires the school’s integrated pest management plan and notice to parents and staff about the application.

Keeping stinging insects from coming back

Check eaves, sheds and deck undersides in May and June, when queens build starter nests about the size of a golf ball; one of those is far easier to deal with than an August colony, so call us if you spot one. Keep trash and recycling bins closed, rinse soda cans, and seal gaps in soffits and siding once a treated nest is dead.

Wooded lots near Ridley Creek State Park and the Crum Woods give hornets plenty of nest sites close to houses. For routine nests, see our stinging insect control services. Stinging insects aren't the only urgent call we take; if you've found bugs in the bed, read our emergency bed bug treatment guide, and for a rat or mouse indoors see emergency rodent removal.