Table 1. Physical description of the most common bees and wasps.
Honey bee (Apis mellifera): Very hairy. General color orange or yellow-orange, sometimes with dark gray. Individuals collecting pollen will pack it into clumps in special structures (pollen baskets) on the hind legs.
Bumble bees (Bombus spp.): Very hairy and stout bodied. Black and yellow markings on all species but many are marked with orange or orange-red on the abdomen.
European paper wasp (Polistes dominulus): Not hairy. General color black and bright yellow. Overall body form more elongate than the other species. Hind pair of legs long and trail conspicuously when flying.
Western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica): Not hairy. General color black and bright yellow. Overall body form slightly more compact than European paper wasp.
Baldfaced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata): Not hairy. General color is black and creamy white. Overall body form similar to yellowjacket, but larger.
Table 2. Comparison of habits of common Colorado bees and wasps.
Feature Honey bee European paper wasp Western yellowjacket Baldfaced hornet
Nest construction Wax comb Paper comb, no envelope Paper comb covered with paper envelope Paper comb covered with paper envelope
Nest location Large hollows, hives Under eaves, in small voids Usually underground, rarely wall voids Above ground in trees, shrubs, under eaves
Colony permanence1 Perennial Annually produced Annually produced Annually produced
Peak colony size >10,000 <100 100s 100s
Food habits Nectar, pollen, some sweet foods Live insects Dead insects, garbage, meats, sweet foods Live insects
Stinger Barbed, left during stinging Not barbed Not barbed Not barbed
Attraction to wasp trap No No Yes No
We can get rid of the Bees, Wasps and Hornets that have nested around your home.


What They Do:
Wasps, Bees & Hornets usually will nest in the edges of sofits, eaves & attics for protection. They like dark, enclosed spaces to build the honeycomb/hive. Occasionally, they can get into the house through gaps, outlets, light fixtures, etc. 75% of our calls are for paper wasps. They like to build nests under the peaks of sofits or just inside the gutters. In most cases, they build a honeycomb and then encase it with a paper-like coating. This is a cellulose based wrap that the wasps excrete after chewing on wood, paper & trash. It protects the nest.


What We Do:
We will treat the entry/exit point they are using with several different types of chemicals. They key to getting rid of them is to use products which have a residue that sticks to the openings and will be taken back to the queen. Eliminating the queen and any pregnant females is the key to eliminating the problem. This insures that the whole colony is exterminated. It will also help with any new colonies that try and re-build. If the nest is accessible, we will remove it and treat the area which deters them from rebuilding. Unfortunately, we cannot 'treat the whole house'. We wish there was a product that could do it. It would make everything much easier.


Pricing:
$150 which covers treatment of the nest on your home and includes any additional follow up treatments in the same calendar year if they rebuild in the same spot.


Guarantee: 
Unfortunately, there is no possible way to eliminate wasps, etc from building nests on your home. We do cover any retreats for the remainder of the calendar year for the areas we treat.


What Doesn't Work:
Traps. In almost all cases, the yellow traps that hang from a tree are useless. They only trap what flies nearby and will almost never trap the queen. Spraying them down with a hose only make then more aggressive. The sprays that are available  from the hardware store work great if you can spray the whole can into the nest or gap. The problem is that you usually can't get close enough to properly spray it. Spraying the ones that are flying around is ineffective.


Please note: We cannot remove honeybee nests. In most cases, this will require major demolition to remove the honeycombs. We recommend calling a beekeeper.




Copyright 2007, Animals In The Attic, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Denver Bee, Wasp & Hornet Pest Control & Nest Removal Services
Our professional extermination service company offers services such as:  wasp, bee, hornet pest control & nest removal. Control, nest removal, hive removal, wasp problem, wasp company, honeycomb removal, wasp control, wasp removal, hornet control, hornet removal, bee control, exterminator, extermination, paper wasp control/removal, wasp treatment, commercial, residential, honeycomb, bee removal, pest control, wasps in the attic, basement, crawl space, walls, floors, exterminate wasps, wasp pest control, get rid of: bees, wasps, nest in tree, black and white bee/wasp, hornets in the following cities, towns, counties and areas in metro Denver, Colorado:

Applewood, Arvada, Aurora, Bow Mar, Broomfield, Centennial, Cherry Hills Village, Coal Creek, Columbine, Commerce City, Denver, Edgewater, Englewood, Federal Heights, Glendale, Golden, Greenwood Village, Highlands Ranch, Ken Caryl, Lafayette, Lakewood, Littleton, Lone Tree, Louisville, Morrison, Mountain View, Northglenn, Rock Creek, Sheridan, Superior, Thornton, Welby, Westminster, Wheat Ridge
.
Baldfaced Hornet (Technically, they are a wasp)
Honeybee (Note: Orange rather than yellow body color)
Paper Wasps Nest