Preferred Pest Control Bee & Wasp Removal
Wasps and bees give homeowners stress during the summer season, especially in May and June. This is when the queen bee is searching for a location to build her nest and many of her worker bees will hatch shortly after she completes the hive. Wasps are very similar, and the more wasps or bees that hatch, the bigger the hive and the infestation become! Social wasps and bee colonies can multiply throughout the summer and expand to hundreds or thousands of insects within the hive.
If their nests are out of the way and not causing any harm, it is okay to leave them alone. However, our wasp nest removal experts often get calls when homeowners see a nest or the actual wasps and bees around their home. Preferred Pest’s wasp and bee exterminators never recommend homeowners try to get rid of a beehive or remove a wasp nest on their own. If you don’t use an effective method or take proper precautions, you could suffer from multiple stings and possibly an allergic reaction. Our goal is to safely get rid of bees and wasps from your property before they cause any harm and prevent them from coming back.
Preferred Pest Control Wasp Nest & Beehive Removal Process
We take pride in our dedication to protect our customers from unwanted insects and avoiding a future infestation. Our wasp and bee exterminators know exactly how to get rid of wasp nests, beehives and the insects inside them. There can be quite a few differences between bees and wasps, which means our bee and wasp removal process may vary depending on the specific species we’re dealing with. However, the overall treatment for these flying and stinging insects is pretty similar. Here is our step-by-step beehive and wasp nest removal process that our bee and wasp exterminators follow:
Step 1: Getting Rid of Wasps & Bees
One of the most important precautions we take in ensuring our wasp and bee exterminators stay safe on the job is making sure the insects inside the nest cannot harm them. The first step to get rid of a wasp nest or beehive is to spray the nest with an aerosol. This will take care of any wasps, bees or larvae inside the hive. Sometimes it’s best to wait a full 24 hours after spraying to ensure we’re safe from a painful sting.
Step 2: Prevent Beehive & Wasp Nest Infestations in the Future
Next, our wasp and bee exterminators will use a dust insecticide as a long-term solution to get rid of bees and wasps. A few puffs of insecticide can give homeowners peace of mind that they won’t have another wasp or bee infestation for the rest of the year.
Step 3: Wasp Nest & Beehive Removal
Once the hive is treated, we will get rid of the wasp nest or beehive and remove it from the property. This is an important step to keep future pests away, since bees will sometimes reuse a hive.
Step 4: Additional Bee & Wasp Prevention Tips
The best prevention tactic to keep bees and wasps away is to perform regular inspections around your home. Check for nests in protected areas and damage to your lawn or deck. Depending on the type of species our wasp and bee exterminators are dealing with, there are a few more actions that should be taken once a nest is gone.
If we’re treating a carpenter bee hole, like the example in the video above, homeowners should use a cork or wood putty to seal the hole once the pest is gone. If the hole is left alone, another carpenter bee will use this as their nest and cause even more damage to the wood. If you still see carpenter bees trying to dig into the wood around your home, it might be best to paint it. They will not try to drill painted wood.
When dealing with a honey bee infestation inside the home, it is essential to make sure you remove not only the hive, but all the honey that was created. If homeowners leave this behind, the honey will attract even more insects and will suffer another infestation.
Learn More About Wasp Nests & Beehives Near Your Home
Bees Found in Iowa
Most bees are known as social insects and live together in hives, but it may surprise you that some prefer to live alone. There are over 20,000 known species of bees throughout the world, but only three species are spotted in Iowa:
- Honey bees live in hives, collect pollen and create honey. When our bee exterminators are called for honey bee hive removal, we suggest also calling a local beekeeper to collect the colony and its honey so it can be sent to another location. Honey bees are not usually aggressive unless they feel their nest is in danger, and will become more aggressive as their hive increases in size.
Ground bees are named after where they lay their eggs: in the ground. These insects penetrate small holes the width of a pencil and about one inch deep into yards. This species is not typically aggressive- Carpenter bees are one of the few solitary bee species, and are known for chewing away at wood to make their nest. You can spot them if you see ½ inch round holes in wood around your home and tiny wood chips, like the photo below, near the hole. Carpenter bees are not aggressive unless you provoke them.
Common Wasps in Iowa
The different wasp species can be identified by their markings, size of their body and the type of nest they create. Similar to bees, there are both social and solitary wasps in Iowa.
- Yellow jackets are the most recognized species of wasp for their bright yellow and black bodies, and they can be quite aggressive in late summer when their nest is at its peak size. Yellow jackets are considered social creatures since they create a wasp nest where the colony lives and works to please the queen.
- Cicada killer wasps are the largest species found in Iowa and will grow up to two inches long. Their stripes are black with a burnt yellowish color. These solitary wasps are nonaggressive and burrow into the ground to create individual nests for their larvae. Once the cicada killer digs about 24 inches down into the ground, they leave a paralyzed insect (typically a cicada) inside the wasp nest with their young for food. The wasp will never return once she closes each nest.
- Paper wasps are another social species that create an open-faced nest made of chewed up leaves they paste together, forming a papery material. This species prefers to make their wasp nests in sheltered areas, such as under the eaves or soffits of a home. When our wasp exterminators are called for wasp nest removal services, it’s common that we find a paper wasp nest close to the home.
- Mud dauber wasps are named after the unique tube-like cells they make from mud to house their eggs. Because they are another solitary wasp species, they will set up the nest, leave food inside, then seal up each cell with mud and never return to their nest.
Wasp Nest & Bee Removal in the Des Moines Metro
If you see bees or a wasp nest near your home or business, don’t risk being stung in the wasp or beehive removal process! Our trained wasp and bee exterminators know exactly how to get rid of wasp nests and beehives and will provide preventive care to ensure they don’t come back. If you think you need to get rid of bees or need our wasp nest removal services, call Preferred Pest Control at (515) 415-5550 or schedule an appointment online today!
If you want in-depth year-round pest prevention that includes getting rid of wasp nests and beehives, check out our Groundforce Pest Prevention Plan! Our pest control professionals will check your home multiple times a year to make sure bees, wasps and a long list of other pests will stay out of your home.