Wasp, Hornet & Yellow Jacket Control
Wasp vs yellow jacket vs hornet: identify the nest before anyone touches it
Yellow Jackets, bald-faced hornets, and paper wasps build three different nests, and the nest is the part you can safely look at. Work out which one is on your house, then go to the page that covers it.
- Same-day service available
- Licensed Commercial Pesticide Operator
- Quoted before any work begins
Wasp vs yellow jacket vs hornet: look at the nest, not the insect
The wasp itself is small, fast, and usually far too close by the time you can see it well. The nest holds still. Three wasps cause nearly every call I take around Portland homes, and each one builds something you can name from twenty feet back, which is the only distance you should be looking from. Steady traffic into a hole, a crack, or one spot in the lawn, with no nest in sight, means yellow jackets. A big enclosed gray ball means bald-faced hornets. A small open comb on a short stalk under an eave means paper wasps.
- Wasps in and out of a hole, a siding gap, or the lawn, nest hidden: yellow jackets
- Closed gray ball with a papery shell, football sized by August: bald-faced hornets
- Open comb on a short stalk, every cell showing from below: paper wasps
- None of those fit, or you can't get a look at all: start with the general wasp page
- Round and fuzzy instead of smooth and shiny means bees, and bees are the one case where I try to save the colony
Go straight to the page for your nest
Each of these goes deeper than this page does: what the nest looks like up close, how the colony changes through the season, and how I take that one down. Pick the closest match, or send me a photo and skip the guessing.
Yellow Jacket Removal
Wasps dropping into the same square foot of lawn, or filing into a gap in the siding, and no nest you can point at. What you see is the doorway. Ground nests, wall voids, and attic colonies.
Hidden and ground nests
Hornet Removal
A closed gray ball hanging off a branch, a shrub, or the corner of the house, with one small hole near the bottom. Bald-faced hornets, and that page starts with whether yours needs to come down at all.
The gray ball nest
Paper Wasp Removal
An open comb on a stalk under an eave, soffit, or deck rail, cells visible from below and no shell around it. Usually European paper wasps, and the mildest of the three by a wide margin.
Open comb under the eaves
Wasp Removal
You can't see a nest, nothing above matches, or you simply want it gone and don't care what it is. Start here. Same-day across the metro when my schedule allows, quoted before I start.
Not sure what I haveNot wasps at all? If the insects are round and fuzzy rather than smooth and shiny, you're looking at bees. I relocate honey bees and bumble bees rather than kill them, so start with bee and beehive control instead.
Wasp vs yellow jacket vs hornet: what each one means for the job
The nest tells you which wasp you have. This tells you how much that changes about getting rid of it.
| What you have | Workers by late summer | How far they defend | How urgent it usually is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper wasps, open comb | A few dozen | A foot or two around the comb, and they ignore you outside it | Low, unless it's beside a door, a mailbox, or a hand rail |
| Bald-faced hornets, gray ball | Several hundred | A wide area, and vibration from a mower or a ladder counts | High near paths and decks, lower if it's high up and out of the way |
| Yellow Jackets, hidden nest | Thousands | The whole approach to the doorway, not just the nest itself | High almost anywhere people walk, and worse as fall comes on |
| Honey Bees or bumble bees | Varies by colony | They're working flowers, not watching you | Call before anyone sprays it |
Those numbers are why I ask which wasp before I quote. Forty wasps on an open comb is a ladder and a few minutes. Three thousand behind your siding is a plan for where everyone stands first. Not sure which row you're in? Text a photo to (206) 817-7782.
Wasp vs yellow jacket when there is no nest to find anywhere
This is the version of the call I take most, and it's nearly always yellow jackets. Wasps at the deck table, wasps around the trash cans, and nothing overhead to point at. Pick a warm, still stretch of the day and watch from across the yard. Wasps heading home fly a straight line and drop into one spot, and that spot is the doorway.
Watching from a distance is the safe way to do it, because vespid wasps get defensive mainly when a person is close to the nest, or standing between the nest and a food source the colony is working, per OSU Extension's guide to yellow jackets and other wasps. So stay well back, and move the garbage, recycling, and food off the flight line while you're watching.
- Warm mid-mornings and late afternoons give the clearest flight lines
- Ground nests favor shrub bases, stumps, rockery edges, and old rodent burrows
- In a wall, the doorway is usually a siding gap, a vent screen, or where a pipe enters
- Once you spot it, mark it from well back with a chair or a cone pointed at the hole
What to do right now, before I get there
Most stings around a house come from getting close to a nest, or from standing between the nest and the food a colony is working. Everything below follows from those two facts.
Do this while you wait
- Back away at a walk and go inside. Running and swatting reads as an attack.
- Keep windows and doors on that side closed, and keep kids and pets off that part of the yard.
- Move the garbage, recycling, and compost away from where people sit.
- Cover food and drinks outdoors, especially sweet drinks in open cans.
- Text me a photo from a distance at (206) 817-7782, and say if anyone in the house has a sting allergy. That moves you up the schedule.
Skip these, they make it worse
- Don't plug the opening a wall nest is using. Wasps chew a new way out, sometimes into a bedroom.
- Don't knock a nest down or hit it with the hose. That scatters a defending colony at head height.
- Don't run a mower, blower, or trimmer near a nest. Vibration is what sets bald-faced hornets off.
- Don't spray from directly under a nest, and don't do it off a ladder. Getting stung eight feet up is worse.
- Don't seal a treated wall void the same day. Let the traffic stop first, then close it for good.
What wasp, hornet and yellow jacket removal costs in Portland, Oregon, and how I price it
All three get priced the same way: on the nest in front of me, quoted before I start. There is no species surcharge, which surprises people who assume hornets cost more by name. Four things move the number, and none of them is what the wasp is called.
Pricing
You get a quote before any work begins
Call or message me for a quote. Send a photo to (206) 817-7782 and I can usually price it without a visit.
Call or text (206) 817-7782Where the nest sits
A comb under a porch ceiling I can reach flat-footed is the low end. A nest at the roofline of a two-story means a ladder, a pole, and more setup time.
How big the colony has gotten
A spring nest with a queen and a few workers is a smaller job than the same nest in August with a thousand wasps in it. Calling early is the cheapest thing you can do.
Whether it's inside the structure
Nests in a wall void, soffit, or attic take longer to find and treat, and once in a while need an access point opened to reach the comb.
How much you book at once
Discounted rates when several services go on one visit, so if the wasps turned up alongside an ant trail or a spider problem, say so on the first call.
I'm a licensed Commercial Pesticide Operator working out of West Linn. Most wasp nests need treating to finish the colony, and where one is reachable enough to lift off whole I'll do that instead. Same-day service across the Portland metro when the schedule allows.
Booking wasp nest removal around Portland, Oregon
I'm Sam. I work alone, out of West Linn, and one-time wasp work covers the full Portland metro. Call or text (206) 817-7782 with your address and a photo if you can get one safely, and I'll tell you which wasp you have, what I'd do about it, and what it costs before I come out.
When I'm there I confirm the species, find the nest, handle it, then point out what to close up so next spring's queen picks somewhere else. That last part is free, and it's the difference between one call and a call every August.
If wasps are one line on a longer list, my annual plan, Complete Insect Protection, is offered to West Linn, Lake Oswego and Oregon City clients only. Quarterly visits, preventative interior and exterior treatment, and free priority emergency visits between quarters. More on my year-round insect control page.
This is a new, independently owned business, and I'd rather grow it by being the guy who tells you when you don't need him. If your nest is one that can be left where it is, I'll say so on the phone, and that call costs you nothing.
Google reviews
What Portland, Oregon homeowners say after the job
5.0 from 25 Google reviews
Read them on GoogleSam came out the day after I called and had predicted the situation correctly when we chatted on the phone. He was able to get rid of the yellow jackets and even helped with an ant issue we had. Super nice and knowledgeable!
Erin Dhruva Great service, fast response!
Alex Ramberg Sam was great. He was able to come out same day and take care of the yellow jackets living in our siding. He's efficient and professional. Highly recommend!
Susan Thomsen Before calling Sam, I was told by a “professional” Pest service that the infiltrators getting through my siding were honeybees. The bees were quite visible through my window, but we’re misidentified. Fortunately, I called Sam and he corr...
Patty Rissberger I called Sam to help with a yellow jacket hive in an exterior wall of my house. He communicated quickly over text, made an appointment for the same day, arrived when he said he would, and answered all of the questions I had. He treated t...
Sarah H Sam was great. He ended up coming the same day and removing a yellow jacket nest for us. I would highly recommend him to anyone!!
Tori Phillps From start to finish Sam was professional and easy to work with, he was knowledgeable and friendly and well prepared! It was a much more enjoyable experience to work with Sam than calling a big named exterminator. Sam was honest and fair...
Tamsyn Cox Sam was great! Successful wasp removal, easy communication, quick work. Would call again if needed.
Jen P Sam was outstanding to work with! We had a huge hive return to a spot in our attic that had been previously cleared a year earlier. I called Sam on a Tuesday and he came out the next morning! He worked quickly and efficiently to remove t...
Brian Odell I called Sam and was on a job and about done for the day and I explained my situation and he went out of his way and gave me a time he would be here and he was right on time. Did a Sunday removal of a wasps nest on my front porch and onc...
Michael puderbaugh Called Sam and he answered right away. He was able to come out within a few hours and took care of a large yellow jacket nest that had been built in a fern bush next to my driveway where we walk to get into the back gate and garage. He w...
Diana Lu Sam arrived quickly, day of, to save us from an aggressive hornets nest. Sam knew exactly the hornet before even having eyes on it and was communicative and helpful. The experience was much easier than trying to deal with some others in...
Katheryn Hayward We discovered a wasp nest in a planter in our back yard yesterday (and got stung 3 times, ouch!) and called Sam this morning. He was able to come out a few hours later and eradicate the nest. He was thoughtful, knowledgeable, and just a...
Hans Nolf Sam was awesome! Our Tennant texted us late Sunday night stating her heard buzzing in the walls, and Sam was able to come take a look the next day! He is clearly very knowledgeable and gave us quite a bit of information. Extremely kind a...
Megan Delmore Sam was super friendly and worked very efficiently to remove a huge colony of yellow jackets from our soffit…..which was 16 feet off the ground! Recommend very highly, worth every penny!
Laurie Kunert Fantastic service, Timely, Professional, Friendly, Easy to work with, Great value for the price, Good communication. Bye bye yellow jackets!
Scott Klees I had an urgent need at my work location. I texted Sam at 3:30pm. He replied within the hour. We made a plan for meeting to survey and treat the situation. He was on site by 6:15 and done working by 7:00pm. 5 stars for communication, for...
Patrick Clark A+++++! We were so relieved to find Sam the Bee Man! After an unsuccessful removal by a different bee pro, we were feeling helpless until I found Sam. Not all bee experts have the skill to cut into a structure, but Sam does. He used a he...
Jennifer Stafford Professional and friendly to work with. Great communicator and very knowledgeable. Would strongly recommend for any pest control or be removal services. If you have a wasp, they also specialize in that.
Detail Maestro Sam came out the same day I contacted him, and was able to quickly find and remove a yellow jacket nest. He also was able to talk to me about options for treating ants in my backyard, offering varying levels of treatment that felt most...
Ali C I had a bee problem. I messaged Sam this morning at 8:30am. He responded by 8:46am and was at my building by 1pm. Sam is highly knowledgeable and extremely thoughtful. His approach to bee management is taking into account the safety of t...
Nadine Stanton Sam is so knowledgable and is a godsend to us for keeping the ants and spiders away in our home. His membership model is super valuable and reasonably priced and perfect for our needs. He's also just super friendly and takes his time to...
Veronica McOmie Sam's my new pest control go to man. I had a HUGE ant issue in the primary bathroom. Sam came out the same day I called. He assessed the situation, determined the entry point and provided options for getting rid of them. I have signed...
M R Sam was great. When I had a bumble bee hive in my garage, he came out the same day and was able to relocate the hive to a safer location.
ryan spooner Great experience with Sam the Bee Man! Professional and thorough. Highly recommend!
Jessica Reed
Call or Text (206) 817-7782
For the quickest response to your bee, wasp, or pest concern.
Common questions
Wasp questions I get from Portland, Oregon homeowners
I can only get a photo of the wasps, not the nest. Is that enough?
Usually, if it's in focus. Paper wasps trail their long back legs below them in flight and have a very narrow waist. Yellow Jackets are shorter and blockier with their legs tucked up. Bald-faced hornets are black and white rather than yellow. If the photo comes out blurry, tell me where they're flying to instead, because the doorway narrows it down faster than the insect does.
Do hornets cost more to remove than paper wasps?
All three are quoted the same way, and what moves the number is access and colony size more than the species name. A hornet nest often does land higher, but that's because it's usually bigger and usually further off the ground, not because it says hornet on it. I quote your actual nest before I start.
There are two nests on my property. Is that two jobs?
One visit, priced as one visit with a second nest on it, not two separate call-outs. Same story if the wasps showed up alongside ants or spiders. Booking several things together gets a discounted rate, so mention everything on the first call instead of after I've packed the truck.
Someone in my house is allergic to stings. What changes?
Tell me when you call or text, because it moves you up my schedule that day. Keep that side of the house shut and keep the allergic person indoors until I've been out. And don't let anyone try a can of store spray in the meantime. A partial hit brings the colony out and puts the wrong person in the wrong place. Text (206) 817-7782 and say it up front.
What if it turns out to be bees and not wasps?
Then the job changes completely, and I'd rather learn that from a photo than after I've shown up with the wrong plan. Wasp, hornet and yellow jacket nests get destroyed. That is what the work is. Honey bees and bumble bees are the one case where I try to move the colony instead, and how well that goes depends on where it has set up. Round and fuzzy is bees. Smooth and shiny with a pinched waist is wasps.
Do I need to be home when the nest comes down?
Not for most outdoor nests. If you can point me at it in a text and I can get into the yard, you don't need to be standing there. For anything inside a wall, a soffit, or an attic I'd rather someone was home, because those occasionally need a decision made about opening an access point to reach the comb.
I'm out on the edge of the metro. Will you still drive out for one nest?
Yes. One-time wasp, hornet, and yellow jacket work covers the whole Portland metro from my base in West Linn, and a single nest is a normal call, not too small to bother with. The annual plan is the narrower one, West Linn, Lake Oswego and Oregon City only, so outside those three I'll still take the nest, I just can't put you on quarterly visits.
Request a quote
Step 1 of 1