Identify Your Pest

European Paper Wasp

While not naturally aggressive, European paper wasps will sting to defend their territory. They typically only attack when their nest is disturbed or when they feel directly threatened, and they do not swarm without provocation. Often mistaken for yellow jackets, these invasive wasps can be identified by their slightly larger size and slimmer waist. A sting is painful, causing localized pain, swelling, and redness. Because they build their open, umbrella-shaped nests in common sheltered spots like under eaves or in garages, the risk of an accidental encounter is high, making nest removal a job for professionals.

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Paper Wasps

Paper wasps (of the genus Polistes) will build their nests in almost any sheltered location, making them a common surprise for homeowners. Their preferred spots are high and protected, such as in attic vents, behind window shutters and in the peaks of eaves. However, their small, open-comb nests can also be tucked into deck railings, gas grills, mailboxes and even outdoor light fixtures. You can often identify them by their slim 3/4" bodies and signature dangling legs during flight. Because paper wasps can sting repeatedly and painfully, discovering a nest in these common areas warrants caution and professional assistance.

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Yellow Jackets (Buzzes like a bee)

German Yellow Jackets are often mistaken for bees because they buzz like bees. Unlike a honeybee, which stings only once, a yellow jacket can sting repeatedly and the colonies are annual. They belong to a group of social wasps that cooperate to build and defend their queen and colony.

Yellow Jacket Traits

Aerial Yellow Jackets nest in trees, shrubs, under decks or high in the eaves, their nest is very visible and easy to identify. Often shaped like a football, the nests are constructed from gray paper with a single hole on the bottom.

Yellow Jackets actually make this paper themselves by chewing on tiny slivers of wood. The young are hatched, and food is stored in the nest's core of hexagonal cells.

Yellow Jackets Nested Inside Your Home?

If yellow jackets have nested in your home, you will likely not find the nest. Instead, you will see where the yellow jackets are flying and track them back to a hole or crack in the wall or ceiling. Listen to the wall for a crackling sound, often described as the crumpling of paper. This is an indication that the yellow jackets are using your drywall and wood to expand their nest.

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Mining Bee

Mining bees resemble the typical honeybee in shape and size. Bodies are colored dark with fine light brown or yellow hairs. Andrenid bees have chewing-lapping mouthparts used to manipulate and collect flower products such as nectar and pollen. The protruding 'lapping' mouthpart is shorter in mining bees than honeybees giving them the common name of short-tongued bees.

Unlike honeybees, mining bees are solitary and do not form large, socially organized nests. As their name suggests, mining bees dig single nests in the soil. In spring, adult bees emerge, mate and begin nest preparation. Bees select exposed, well-drained soils to nest in such as banks, hills and road cut-outs. Although the bees are solitary nesters, they often construct nests in large numbers next to one another at a given nesting site. Each female mines out a cylindrical hole to raise offspring. The nest consists of a vertical tunnel and side cells alongside the tunnel for hatching eggs. Foraging activity generally lessens during the summer months and the bees become less noticeable. Mature larvae pupate and transform into adults during the late summer. Adults spend the winter inside the burrow and will emerge the following spring to start the whole cycle over.

When bees nest together in large numbers, they can be quite ominous, especially during mating and foraging seasons. Mining bees can sting only once and they are not easily provoked unless you run over their nest with a lawnmower.

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Carpenter Bee

In the late spring and early summer, homeowners often notice large, black bees hovering around the outside of their homes. These are probably Carpenter Bees searching for mates and favorable sites to construct their nests. Male carpenter bees are quite aggressive, often hovering in front of people who are around the nests. The males are harmless because they lack stingers. Female carpenter bees can inflict a painful sting but seldom will unless they are handled or provoked.

Carpenter bees resemble bumblebees, but the upper surface of their abdomen is bare and shiny black. Bumblebees have a hairy abdomen with some yellow markings. Carpenter Bees can be found under eaves, decks, breezeways, etc. They drill holes in the exterior of the wood to lay eggs.

We do not exterminate carpenter bees.

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Mud Dauber Wasps

Mud daubers are a common sight in Wisconsin, often mistaken for 'mud bees' due to their mud nests. However, these are solitary wasps, not social insects, and they pose less of a threat than paper wasps or yellow jackets.

Identifying Mud Daubers

• Appearance: Slender, shiny black, brown or yellow wasps with a distinct, long, thread-like waist.
• Nests: They build unique tube-like nests made of mud and clay, often found in sheltered locations like attics, sheds or under eaves.
• Behavior: Mud daubers are not aggressive. They will only sting if they feel threatened, but they can sting repeatedly.

Do Mud Daubers Sting?

Yes, mud daubers sting. While their venom can be painful, the wasps are not prone to stinging and only do so in self-defense. Unlike social wasps, they do not defend a colony, so the risk of being stung is low.

Boxelder Bugs vs. Mud Daubers

People often mistake other pests for mud daubers. For example, a boxelder bug infestation is a common problem. It's important to differentiate between these pests, as boxelder bugs are beetles that don't sting or build nests.

Professional Mud Dauber Removal

If mud dauber nests become a nuisance or are located in a sensitive area, professional removal is the safest solution. We offer expert pest control services for mud daubers and other pests throughout Wisconsin. Contact us today for safe and effective extermination.

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Bald Faced Hornets

Bald-face hornets are certainly the strongest stinging insect I encounter on the job. They are the only ones able to sting directly through my protective clothing. They can even shoot venom into my eyes if they make it past the protective netting covering my face.

Hornets nests are entirely exterior -- trees, shrubs, under decks, and high in the eaves. They construct a "football" or upside-down teardrop-shaped nest from gray paper. Hornets, as do wasps and yellow jackets, make this paper themselves by chewing on tiny slivers of wood. The young are hatched and food is stored in the center of the nests' hexagonal cells. Hornet nests contain thousands of insects that are extremely aggressive when disturbed. The nests are often located out of reach and removal is best accomplished by a professional pest control firm. Unlike Bees, they can sting repeatedly. They build colonies annually.

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Asian Beetle

Preparation is key when it comes to Asian beetles. A properly timed exterior insecticide treatment can eliminate any infestations. Once the insects are in the house all you can do is vacuum them up. Never spray insecticides inside the house because they do not reproduce once inside.

During late winter or early spring, barrier treatments are ineffective because the beetles gained entry the previous autumn. Consider treatment before this happens.

To be effective, barrier treatments should be applied before the beetles enter buildings over winter. In Wisconsin, the proper timing for such treatments is early September thru the end of October.

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Boxelder Bugs

Boxelder bugs are easily identified by their distinct black bodies with narrow reddish lines on their backs and are often seen in large numbers on or near the boxelder trees they feed on. In the fall, these large populations migrate to find winter shelter, congregating on sunny exterior walls before moving inside your home through any available crack or gap. Once they're inside, the best way to deal with them is simply by using a vacuum cleaner. However, the most effective long-term solution is professional prevention. An exterior barrier treatment applied from late September through October is the best strategy to keep them out of your Wisconsin home for the winter.

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Stink Bugs

The invasive brown marmorated stink bug is a shield-shaped, mottled brown insect known for the strong odor, often compared to rotting almonds, released when it's disturbed. In the fall, you'll find them congregating on sunny exterior walls before they move inside through cracks and gaps to spend winter in your attic, wall voids, and living areas. Once they are inside your home, the best way to get rid of them is to vacuum them up and immediately dispose of the bag to avoid the smell. However, this is only a temporary fix. The most effective strategy is professional prevention, which involves an exterior barrier treatment applied from late September through October to stop them from entering your Wisconsin home in the first place.

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Cluster Fly

The Cluster Fly is a parasite of earthworms and breeds outdoors in lawns and fields during the spring and summer. You can find cluster flies almost everywhere in the United States and Canada, except for the Southern states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. When fall approaches, the cluster flies begin to enter structures in large numbers. Problems with cluster flies begin in late August as they begin to seek shelter for winter. The cluster fly is seeking warm sites with protective cracks for shelter, crawling back as far as they can get. It is important to consider treatment before this happens.

To be effective, barrier treatments should be applied before the flies enter buildings over winter. In Wisconsin, the proper timing for such treatments is typically late-September thru the end of October although this will vary with seasonal conditions.

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Honey Bees

Honey bees may establish a nest inside the wall of the house or other buildings causing a problem, a health hazard and a serious danger to the structure. Honey bees can only sting once before dying, making them reluctant to sting unless attacked.

Honey bee colonies in walls or attic voids are a more serious problem than yellowjacket wasps. Yellowjacket colonies are annual and the wasps will disappear in the winter with or without treatment. Honey bee nests may last for many years without treatment and will contain honey stored inside the walls. The honey can ruin walls and ceilings if not removed.

Combs inside buildings can also attract other bees and pests in the future. Controlling honey bee nests can be challenging. Call a pest control specialist if you spot bees around or coming out of your home.

We do not exterminate honey bees.

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Bumblebees

Bumblebees are social insects that live in colonies. Each spring a queen that has survived winter will find a suitable nesting site and establish her colony.

The bumblebee colony grows larger over the summer and is usually discovered while gardening or mowing the lawn. The bumblebees will attack to defend their nest, making them a health concern. They are pollinators and should only be exterminated if in an undesirable location. Unfortunately, they often build their nests under concrete by patios and steps. In that case, extermination is the only option. Bumble Bees are reluctant to sting, however, they will vigorously defend their nest.

Often confused with carpenter bees, bumblebees are characterized by the hairiness of the abdomen (carpenter bees have a smooth abdomen).

We do not exterminate bumblebees.

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