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Wasps and bees: identification, treatment and cost

Tell wasps, hornets, yellowjackets and bees apart, and how nests are removed safely, including what removal costs. 14 guides, sourced to extension services and public records.

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Wooden deck rail and flowers in a gardenWasps and bees

Carpenter Bee vs Bumble Bee: The Shiny Abdomen Test

The shiny abdomen test, the face patch, where each nests, who stings and who cannot, and when each bee is about, from extension guides and our...

October 14, 2026Flowering garden in summer sunWasps and bees

Wasp vs Bee: How to Tell Them Apart in Seconds

Hair, waist, legs and nest: the four checks that separate a bee from a wasp, why yellowjackets and honey bees get mixed up, who stings more...

October 14, 2026Wasp nest hanging under the eaves of a houseWasps and bees

How to Get Rid of Wasps: By Nest Type, Safely

Paper wasps, yellowjackets, hornets and mud daubers each need a different approach. When to spray, how to find a hidden nest, and when to call a...

October 12, 2026Coneflowers and black-eyed susans in a summer gardenWasps and bees

Sweat Bees: Tiny Metallic Bees That Land on Your Skin

Small green or black bees that land on your arm for salt. Whether sweat bees sting, what gets mistaken for them, where they nest and how...

October 11, 2026Picnic table with lemonade and fruit in late summerWasps and bees

What Attracts Wasps, and Why They Get Worse in Late Summer

Wasps hunt protein in spring and sugar from August to October, which is why yellowjackets mob late-summer picnics. What attracts them to houses and people, which...

October 11, 2026Burrow with a U-shaped soil mound at a lawn edgeWasps and bees

Cicada Killer Wasps: Huge, Scary and Almost Harmless

The giant wasps patrolling your lawn in July are cicada killers: stingless males and gentle females. How to tell them from giant hornets and when, if...

October 9, 2026Mud tubes under the eaves of a wooden houseWasps and bees

Mud Daubers: Harmless Wasps and How to Keep Them Off the House

Mud daubers hunt spiders, not people. How to identify the three common species, remove nests without spraying, and stop them building in vents, grills and garages.

October 9, 2026Small soil mounds with holes in a sandy lawnWasps and bees

Ground Bees in the Lawn: Leave Them or Remove Them?

Those small holes and low-flying bees in spring are solitary pollinators that rarely sting and leave within weeks. How to confirm it is not yellowjackets, and...

October 9, 2026Grey papery wasp nest under the eave of a wooden house in summer sunWasps and bees

Wasp and Hornet Identification: Which One Is It?

The European hornet is the only true hornet in the country, the bald-faced hornet is not a hornet at all, and the biggest wasp in the...

October 1, 2026Weathered timber garden shed eave and soffit in late summer sun with dry grass belowWasps and bees

Yellow Jackets: Why Autumn Is When People Get Stung

A colony peaks at up to 15,000 workers in August and September, exactly when its internal food supply ends. That timing explains the aggression.

September 29, 2026Grey papery wasp nest built under the eaves of a house with a few wasps on its surfaceWasps and bees

The Murder Hornet Is Gone. What You Are Actually Seeing

Declared eradicated in December 2024 after only four nests were ever found in the US. A diagnostic lab reports most suspect insects are European hornets.

September 14, 2026Weathered timber fascia beneath a house eave showing round carpenter bee boreholes with sawdust belowTermites

Carpenter Bees and Wood-Destroying Insects Beyond Termites

Carpenter bee treatment costs $150 to $500, powderpost beetles $500 to $5,000. None of them are covered by your termite bond.

August 31, 2026