Yellow Jacket, Hornet & Wasp Removal in Harrisburg, PA

Lawns Plants & Pests LLC handles active stinging insect nests throughout Harrisburg, Hershey, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, and Central Pennsylvania. Yellow jackets in the ground, bald-faced hornet nests in trees and eaves, paper wasp nests under siding and decks, European hornet and cicada killer activity — all handled by a Pennsylvania-licensed pesticide applicator. Same-week response on active nests near doors, decks, play areas, and walkways. Free estimates. Call or text 717-379-3248.

What We Treat

Yellow Jackets

Yellow jackets are the most aggressive and most common stinging-insect call we get from late summer through fall. They build nests in the ground (groundhog holes, mulch beds, base of trees), inside wall voids, in soffits, and under attic insulation. By August and September, a single colony can have 2,000-5,000 workers. They become especially aggressive when their food supply drops — picnics, garbage cans, soda cans, and grills all become triggers. We treat at the entry point with proper applicator equipment, then return to seal the void if needed. Most nests are knocked down within 24-48 hours of treatment.

Key facts:

• Active nests peak August through October in Central PA

• Ground nests are often invisible until you mow over the entry hole

• Yellow jackets sting repeatedly (unlike honey bees, which sting once)

• Allergic reactions are most common with yellow jackets — about half of stinging-insect ER visits

• DIY spray often pushes them deeper into wall voids and creates a worse problem

Bald-Faced Hornets

Bald-faced hornets build the iconic football-shaped gray paper nest you see hanging from tree limbs, under eaves, in gutters, and on the side of houses. Despite the name, they're actually a type of yellow jacket — but they're larger, more aggressive when defending the nest, and their sting carries more venom. A typical mature nest holds 400-700 workers and can be the size of a basketball.

These nests are visible, which makes treatment more straightforward than ground yellow jackets — but they also defend at distance. Approach within 10-15 feet without proper PPE and you'll get charged. We treat from a controlled distance using proper equipment, knock down the nest after activity stops, and inspect for any satellite nests nearby.

Paper Wasps

Paper wasps build the open-cell umbrella-shaped nests you find under deck rails, eaves, soffits, mailboxes, grills, swing sets, and porch lights. Smaller colonies than yellow jackets or bald-faced hornets — usually 20-30 workers in a nest. Less aggressive overall, but they will defend the nest if disturbed and their stings are still painful.

Paper wasps are common from May through October. They're often the wasp customers find when opening up a porch umbrella, sliding open a deck box, or moving a piece of patio furniture for the first time in spring. Treatment is quick and effective — most paper wasp jobs take a single visit.

European Hornets

European hornets are large (up to 1.5 inches), reddish-brown and yellow, and active at night — they're often drawn to lit windows after dark, which freaks out homeowners. They typically nest in hollow trees, attic spaces, and wall voids. Less aggressive than yellow jackets or bald-faced hornets, but their large size makes them alarming. Treatment requires identifying the nest cavity and applying at the entry point.

Cicada Killers

Cicada killers are large (1.5-2 inches), striking yellow-and-black solitary wasps that dig burrows in lawn areas and along walkways. Despite their intimidating size, they're not aggressive — males can't sting at all, and females rarely do. They look terrifying but they're functionally harmless to humans. We treat them when activity is heavy in a high-traffic area (kids' play zones, walkways, lawn near a deck), but in many cases the right answer is "leave them alone, they'll be gone in a few weeks." We'll tell you which case you're in honestly — no upselling treatment for an insect that doesn't need it. 

Mud Daubers

Mud daubers build the small mud tubes you see attached to siding, sheds, eaves, and protected exterior surfaces. They're solitary wasps, not social, so there's no aggressive defending behavior. Stings are rare and mild. We typically don't treat mud daubers — we just remove the mud tubes during a regular pest treatment. They're not the problem most people think they are.

Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees look like bumble bees — large, fat, fuzzy — but with a key difference: their abdomen is shiny and mostly hairless, while bumble bee abdomens are fuzzy. Carpenter bees are the ones drilling perfectly round half-inch holes into your deck rails, fascia boards, eaves, fence posts, and exposed wooden beams.

They're not aggressive. Females can sting but rarely do. Males can't sting at all (they hover and bluff, but they're harmless). The problem with carpenter bees isn't safety — it's structural damage. A single female bores a tunnel into wood to lay eggs. The next year, more bees emerge from those tunnels and bore additional galleries. Over a few seasons, deck rails, soffits, and beams can develop dozens of holes and weakened wood. Woodpeckers also hear the larvae inside the wood and tear up the boards looking for them, making the cosmetic damage worse.

Treatment is straightforward. We apply insecticidal dust directly into each active hole, then plug the holes after the bees die so future generations can't reuse them. Best treatment timing is May-July when the bees are actively boring. Painting and staining exposed wood reduces the appeal but doesn't eliminate it — once a beam has been used, the carpenter bees keep coming back.

Carpenter bees vs bumble bees is the most common ID confusion. They look almost identical at a glance. The shortcut: if it's drilling holes in your wood, it's a carpenter bee. If it's foraging on flowers or nesting in the ground, it's a bumble bee. Bumble bees are protected pollinators — see The Alleman Apiary for bumble bee relocation. 

What We Don't Treat — Honey Bees

If your stinging insects turn out to be honey bees, we don't spray them. Honey bees are protected pollinators and treating them with pesticides is the wrong answer. For live honey bee removal we coordinate with our partner apiary — see our Honey Bee Removal page for what to do if you have honey bees on your property.

How to Tell What You Have

Most customers can't tell stinging insects apart, and that's fine — we identify free over the phone. Send a photo to 717-379-3248 and we'll tell you what you're dealing with. But here's a quick guide for the most common confusions:

Yellow Jackets vs. Honey Bees Yellow jackets are smooth, shiny, bright yellow and black, and aggressive around food and garbage. Honey bees are fuzzy, golden-brown, and visit flowers — they ignore your soda. If they're swarming around your trash can or picnic, they're yellow jackets, not honey bees. If they're working flowers in your garden, they're honey bees.

Bald-Faced Hornets vs. Yellow Jackets Bald-faced hornets are larger (about ¾ inch), black with a distinctive white face. Yellow jackets are smaller (about ½ inch), bright yellow and black. Bald-faced hornet nests are visible football-shaped paper structures hanging in the open. Yellow jacket nests are usually hidden in ground holes or wall voids.

Paper Wasps vs. Yellow Jackets Paper wasps are slender with long dangling legs and build open umbrella-shaped nests in plain sight under eaves and decks. Yellow jackets are stockier, fly with legs tucked, and their nests are hidden.

Carpenter Bees vs. Honey Bees Carpenter bees are large, fat, mostly black with a shiny abdomen, and bore perfectly round holes into wood beams, deck rails, and fascia boards. Honey bees are smaller, fuzzy, golden, and don't damage wood.

Why DIY Often Makes the Problem Worse

Three common DIY mistakes we get called in to clean up:

The store-bought spray on a wall void nest. Yellow jackets and hornets in walls don't die from a quick spray at the entry hole — they get angry, abandon that entry, and chew new exits into your living space. We've responded to homes where 20-50 yellow jackets came out an interior light fixture or ceiling vent the next day. Wall-void treatment requires the right product and the right placement, applied to the colony itself, not just at the visible opening.

Knocking down a nest without treating first. A bald-faced hornet nest knocked down with a broom releases hundreds of angry hornets. They'll defend the location for hours. The same nest treated properly first goes quiet within 30 minutes.

Hot water or fire on ground nests. Boiling water reaches a few inches into a yellow jacket nest before cooling off — most of the colony survives. Gasoline and fire are dangerous, illegal, and ineffective. The treatment professionals use is product-specific, faster, safer, and complete.

If you've already tried something and it didn't work — call us. We respond to "I tried to handle it myself" calls all the time. No judgment, just fix the problem.

Service Area

We respond to stinging insect calls throughout Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, and York Counties — including Harrisburg, Paxtang, Penbrook, Steelton, Highspire, Middletown, Hummelstown, Hershey, Palmyra, Annville, Cleona, Lebanon, Grantville, Linglestown, Colonial Park, Susquehanna Township, Lower Paxton, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg, Lemoyne, New Cumberland, Wormleysburg, Enola, Marysville, Halifax, Millersburg, Elizabethtown, Mount Joy, Mount Wolf, Manchester, Dillsburg, Carlisle, Boiling Springs, and surrounding Central Pennsylvania communities. Active stinging insect nests in high-traffic areas (near doors, decks, play areas) get same-week priority response.

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly can you respond to an active nest?

For nests in high-traffic areas — near doors, on decks, in play zones, or anywhere kids and pets are exposed — we prioritize same-week response, often same-day or next-day during peak season (August through October). For nests in lower-priority locations, typically within a few business days.

How much does stinging insect removal cost in Harrisburg?

Pricing depends on the type of insect, nest location, and accessibility. A paper wasp nest under a porch eave is straightforward and inexpensive. A yellow jacket colony deep in a wall void or a 50-foot-up bald-faced hornet nest takes more time and equipment. We provide free estimates and quote up front before any work begins — no hidden fees, no surprise add-ons.

Will the nest come back if you don't remove it physically?

For paper wasp and bald-faced hornet nests, we typically knock down the nest after treatment so the structure isn't there to attract reuse next season. For ground yellow jacket nests, the colony dies and the nest decomposes naturally — no removal needed. Wall-void nests don't get used by future colonies, but the wax and dead bees can attract beetles, so we recommend opening the void and cleaning if accessible.

Are your treatments safe for kids and pets?

Yes, when applied correctly. We use EPA-registered products applied by a Pennsylvania-licensed pesticide applicator. We'll always tell you the re-entry interval — how long to stay off treated areas after application, typically 1-4 hours depending on product. For sensitive situations (pets, young kids, customers who want reduced-impact options) we offer alternative product choices. Just ask.

Can you treat the same day I call?

Often, yes — especially during peak stinging insect season (August through October). Call or text 717-379-3248 with the situation, send a photo if you can, and we'll let you know our soonest availability honestly. 

Why are there so many wasps and yellow jackets late in the summer?

Stinging insect colonies build up gradually all spring and summer. By late August into October, colonies are at peak size — yellow jackets can reach 2,000-5,000 workers and bald-faced hornets 400-700 workers. Their food sources also shift in late summer (away from caterpillars and toward sugar), which makes them more aggressive around picnics, garbage, and outdoor events. This is why most stinging-insect calls come in August through October, even if the colony has been there since May.

What's the difference between a wasp, hornet, and yellow jacket?

All three are in the same biological family (Vespidae). "Wasp" is the broad category. "Hornet" technically refers to a few specific large wasps — bald-faced hornets and European hornets are the ones common here. "Yellow jacket" is a specific type of wasp known for ground nests, wall-void nests, and aggressive food-seeking behavior. From a homeowner's perspective, the practical differences are nest location and aggression level. From a treatment perspective, we identify the species and treat accordingly — different insects need different approaches.

Do you treat carpenter bees?

Yes. Carpenter bees aren't aggressive but they damage wood — boring round holes into deck rails, fascia, and exposed beams. Treatment is dust-applied directly into the holes, then we plug the holes after the bees die so future bees don't reuse them. See our Pest Control page for full pest service details.

Active Nest? Call or Text 717-379-3248

Same-week response on active stinging insect nests in Harrisburg and Central PA. Free estimates. Pennsylvania-licensed pesticide applicator. Locally owned, family-run, no contracts. Lawns Plants & Pests LLC — call or text 717-379-3248 or email Lawnsplantspests@gmail.com.