Insects

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BUMBLEBEE: With a fuzzy black-and-yellow body, about 3/8” in diameter, the bumblebee is easy to recognize. Sometimes people think they are Queen Bees. Bombis spp. Family: Apidos
THIS IS WHERE IT NESTS

Nests require insulation for warmth, so bumblebees often nest in the ground, sometimes using grass clippings or taking over a mouse’s nest, or even invading the walls of your house. Nest in insulation.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T TREAT IT

Cold weather often drives the worker insects into houses. A nest will produce dozens of queens which leave the nest to hibernate over the winter and start their own nests in spring. I’ve seen as many as 30 bumblebee queens burrowing into the lawn in the fall, preparing for hibernation.

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CARPENTER BEE: Looks like a black bumblebee and it hovers like a helicopter. Bees tunnel into wood and can do noticeable damage. They are territorial and may buzz you if you are near their nest. Xylocopa spp.
Family: Apidos
THIS IS WHERE IT NESTS

Carpenter bees drill into wood to make tunnels in which to rear young. Find the nests by observing the presence of hovering insects, sawdust, or an ugly yellowish-brown stain near the nest. A 3/8-inch hole marks the nest entrance, but it is not always visible, so look for the stain. Tunnels with larvae may be yards long.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T TREAT IT

These bees like to colonize and can produce considerable damage if left untreated. They over-winter in the tunnels and get worse year after year. If not treated, the wood will have to be replaced. Woodpeckers will often peck holes to find and eat the larvae.

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HONEY BEE: Honeybee problems are rare, but when they occur, they are major. Swarms, house invasions or bee trees are all possible. Apis mellifera.
Family: Apidos
THIS IS WHERE IT NESTS

In houses, nests are built between walls or in enclosed soffits. A lot of sudden bee activity indicates honeybees. A dark mass clustered on the side of a house, or on a tree or bush—especially from April to mid-July—could be a swarm of 20,000 honeybees. The swarm could be resting temporarily on its way to a permanent home.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T TREAT IT

Simple extermination won’t solve the problem. Unless the honey is removed, it will attract carpenter ants, cockroaches and other vermin. Frequently honey oozes through cracks, light fixtures and baseboards.

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YELLOW JACKET: New England is home to 5 species of yellow jacket. They are very aggressive members of the wasp family. Nests can contain populations numbering in the thousands.
Family: Vespidae.
THIS IS WHERE IT NESTS

These gray paper nests—up to a foot in diameter—are made of chewed-up wood. You’ll find them in bushes and trees, underground, under eaves, in chimneys, attics, basements, ceilings, and wall voids.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T TREAT IT

Nests in a wall or ceiling that have grown very large have been known to dissolve wallboard and suddenly discharge hundreds of yellow jackets inside the house. Since the sting is toxic, the problem should be treated promptly upon discovery.

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PAPER WASP: Workers are ¾in to 1in long and come in many colors: black, reddish-brown, brown, or yellow and brown, similar to a yellow jacket. A nest has many queens, but one queen is dominant. If the dominant queen is killed, another will take over. For this reason, wasps are difficult to completely control.
THIS IS WHERE IT NESTS

Nests range from 10 to several hundred insects and are located behind shutters, under eaves and fascia boards, in chimneys and attics, or in any other warm sheltered space like barbecues and playground equipment. Your home may contain 10 to 50 small nests, making control more difficult. Wasps will reuse old nests. They should be removed if possible, and cracks and crevices should be sealed.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T TREAT IT

Old nests need to be removed since they continue to attract wasps and can be re-used each year. In addition, cracks and crevices should be sealed to prevent future nesting in cavities.

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WHITE-FACED HORNET: These are large insects, ¾in to 1in long and are black with white markings on the face and body. Nests are gray paper that reach a diameter of 18” and can contain up to 700 workers. The insects seldom enter your house because the nests are always built outside in bushes or trees. The hornets seldom visit barbecues but are very ferocious if their nest is disturbed or vibrated in any way. The sting is very painful, but usually lasts only a short time.
THIS IS WHERE IT NESTS

Nests are usually found in a tree or bush or sometimes on your house eaves.
WHAT IF YOU DON’T TREAT IT

Nests produce dozens of Queens in the Fall and if the nest isn't treated early, these queens will build nests in your neighborhood next year.