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Wasps or Honey Bees by the House? Who to Call for Each
Family-run, licensed and insured pest control in South Florida.
$50 OFF your first service + FREE inspectionNew customers · No code needed · No expirationWasp vs. honey bee comes down to one question: who do you call? If it's wasps or yellowjackets, with smooth, shiny bodies, a pinched waist, and a paper nest or a hole in the ground, call a pest control company like us. If it's honey bees, fuzzy and golden-brown, with wax comb in a wall or a cluster hanging from a branch, call a registered beekeeper. The state keeps a list. We don't remove honey bees. And because many South Florida colonies are Africanized, keep your distance either way until you know what you have.
Wasp vs. honey bee: the 10-second look
You don't need to get close. From a few steps back:
| Wasps and yellowjackets | Honey bees | |
|---|---|---|
| Body | Smooth, shiny, a narrow pinched waist, bright markings | Fuzzy, golden-brown, a thicker body |
| Nest | Gray paper: an open umbrella of cells, a covered ball, or a hole in the ground | Wax comb, usually inside a wall, a tree or a box, or a hanging cluster when they swarm |
| What you notice | A few wasps around an eave, shutter or play set; yellowjackets streaming in and out of the ground | A steady stream of bees going in and out of one gap, or a big buzzing cluster on a branch |
| Who to call | Us | A registered beekeeper |
Still not sure? That's fine. We'll identify it at the inspection, and if it's honey bees, we'll tell you to call a beekeeper. Our paper wasp and yellowjacket pages have photos.
Who to call, situation by situation
- A paper nest under the eave, inside a hurricane shutter or on a play set. Paper wasps. Call us.
- Yellowjackets going in and out of a hole in the yard or a gap in the wall. Call us, and don't plug the hole. Our post on why you shouldn't plug a yellowjacket nest hole explains what happens if you do.
- A big cluster of bees hanging from a branch, a fence or the eaves. That's a honey bee swarm. Call a registered beekeeper. Don't spray it.
- Bees going in and out of a wall, a soffit or the roof. An established honey bee colony. Call a registered beekeeper.
- Perfectly round holes in wood with sawdust underneath. Carpenter bees. Call us. See carpenter bee holes in a pergola.
Honey bees in the wall: who to call in Florida
We don't remove honey bees, hives or swarms, and we don't relocate bees. Honey bee colonies should be relocated by a beekeeper.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) keeps a list of registered beekeepers and certified pest control operators who do honey bee removal or eradication, on its Honey Bee Removal or Eradication page. FDACS says the list is for reference only, not an endorsement, and suggests asking whoever you hire for their beekeeper registration number or pest control license number.
If the bees are inside a wall
- Keep people and pets away from the opening.
- Don't seal or plug the hole, and don't spray into it.
- Call a registered beekeeper from the FDACS list.
If it's a swarm on a branch
A swarm is a colony on the move, resting while scouts look for a new home. It often moves on by itself, usually within a few hours to a few days, according to FDACS. Don't spray it, don't throw anything at it, and keep people and pets away. If it stays or it's somewhere people have to walk, call a registered beekeeper.
Many South Florida colonies are Africanized, so treat any bee colony as potentially defensive, and don't approach it or try to remove it yourself.
What not to do with wasps or bees
- Don't pour gasoline or other fuel into a nest. It's a fire hazard and contaminates the soil.
- Don't flood or block an entrance. Wasps chew or dig a new exit, sometimes into the house.
- Don't knock a nest down with a stick or a hose.
- Don't spray a swarm.
If someone has trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat after a sting, call 911.
What we do for wasps, yellowjackets and carpenter bees
Our wasp nest removal service covers paper wasps, yellowjackets, mud daubers and carpenter bees. We inspect, identify what you have, treat the nests we find and remove the ones we can reach. Carpenter bee galleries get treated in the wood. Keep kids and pets off treated areas until dry, and follow your technician's instructions. Nest work is priced after the FREE inspection.
For general pests, our plan is $125 per quarter, about $42 a month, and monthly or custom schedules are quoted after the inspection. For plan customers: "If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost." There are no long-term contracts and no cancellation fees, just a simple service agreement. We're family-run and licensed, with 30+ years in the business, and hablamos español. See all stinging insects, our carpenter bee page, or more guides.
Wasp and bee questions
How do I tell a wasp from a honey bee?
What should I do if bees are living in my walls?
Do you remove honey bees?
What can be mistaken for a wasp?
Wasps, yellowjackets or carpenter bees? That's us.
Get $50 OFF your first service plus a FREE inspection. No code, no expiration. Call or text anytime: 833-845-9284.
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