How Much Does Bee, Hornet or Wasp Removal Cost?

Cost Range for a Bee, Wasp and Hornet Exterminator

The cost to hire an exterminator for wasps, hornets and bees varies significantly because no two situations are the same. Using factors and information given below, you’ll be able to narrow your exterminator cost estimate within the range of $175 to $1,150.

Average Cost

The cost to remove an average-sized colony or nest in an attic is about $450. Easy-to-reach nests can be removed or destroyed for less than $200, while large colonies of wasps burrowed in the ground cost closer to $1,000 to exterminate.

This page includes specific extermination prices along with cost factors to help you estimate how much it will cost to remove pests at your house.

*Got honeybees? Some beekeepers will remove a honeybee nest for free if the bees are healthy and have not been sprayed with insecticide.

Overview of Wasp & Hornet Exterminating

When wasps, hornets, yellow jackets and other stinging insects invade your property or home, the best approach is to hire a pro exterminator to remove or destroy the nest and its inhabitants. The first step is a thorough inspection to determine the type of insect, size of the colony and exactly where it is located. From there, the pest removal pro will decide if the insects can be safely relocated or whether the best available approach is to eradicate the colony.

Here are the most commonly used methods with pros and cons. Wasp and hornet removal cost using these methods are listed below.

1. Aerosol pesticide spray can only be used to kill the hornets, bees or wasps. It is an affordable method and very effective on hanging nests and nests in wall cavities. When spray is used indoors, it can damage drywall and require cleaning up pesticide residue. Common pesticides used are prallethrin and tetramethrin. The toxicity of insecticides like these is a concern for humans and pets.
2. Dusting employs powdered or granulized pesticides and is mostly employed for underground nests, though it is sometimes sprayed onto a hanging nest or on a colony of bees clinging to an eave, for example.
3. Vacuuming up hornets, bees and wasps is a stand-alone method or can be used in conjunction with dusting or spraying. It is the only method to use if the goal is to relocate the hive or colony without destroying it. Using a powerful vacuum is often effective in wall cavities and similar hard-to-reach places.
4. Relocating honeybees using a bee box can be a safe and effective method when handled by a pro or experienced beekeeper. Typically, the queen bee is located, captured and placed in the bee box. The remaining bees will follow the queen and enter the box too in a fascinating display.

Swarm vs Nest: If you’ve got a swarm of bees that have not nested, they will likely move on. Give them a day or two to leave before calling an exterminator.

Bee, Hornet & Wasp Exterminating Cost Factors

How much is wasp extermination?

The cost to exterminate wasps, hornets and bees of all types is $175 to $950. Major factors are hive location, its size and the method used to get rid of them.

• DIY or Pro: You’ll save money doing it yourself. But will it be effective? Will you expose yourself to sting dangers?
• Hive Location: Nests and hives in the open are easier to eradicate or remove than those in wall cavities, chimneys, attics or underground.
• Accessibility: When the hive is especially hard to reach, getting equipment and supplies to it takes more time and effort, and the cost is higher.
• Hive Size: Larger numbers of insects require more material and time to remove.
• Exterminator Method: Spraying, vacuuming and dusting have slightly different costs, which are listed below. A combination of methods is often used.
• Number of Applications: Unless the exterminator guarantees the job will be done in one visit, you might incur additional costs for a second or third visit.
• Honey Removal: If honeybees (aka honey bees) are your problem, and they’ve left honey behind, it has to be removed. If not, you’ll soon have to exterminate ants, flies, wasps, rodents or other pests drawn to the sweet stuff.
• Repairs: First, if the colony got into your home, you’ll want to close the holes that allowed the invasion. Secondly, carpenter bees and wasps do significant damage to a home’s framing or siding – any wood part of the house.

Exterminator and Application Cost Details

Cost of Services

Here is a wasp exterminator price list with service options and their cost. Below are extermination cost details by Insect Type and by Location (attic, ground, etc.).

Use the treatment Cost Factors above to narrow your estimate on cost. For example, if the infestation is small, spraying will cost closer to $150-$300. If it is large, expect estimates of $300+.

• $6-$14 per 18oz Can | DIY Spray
• $150 – $600 | Professional Spraying
•  $215 – $750 | Professional Dusting
• $265 – $1,150 | Professional Vacuuming
• $0 – $450 | Professional Hive or Colony Removal

Wasp and Bee Extermination Cost by Type

An inspection by an exterminator will determine what type of pest has invaded your property. Type and size of the infestation will determine the eradication method and exterminator cost.

• $0 – $450 | Honeybees – When possible, it is best to have the colony relocated to a bee box and removed to a location the bees will do some good. Beekeepers often do this for free or for the cost of transportation. Sometimes extermination is the only solution.
• $200 – $1,000+ | Africanized “Killer” Bees – These bees are spreading through the southwest, west and south. Pros should be called to exterminate them.
• $150 – $750 | Hornets – Cost mainly depends on the location of the nest, often in hard-to-reach places. Most hornets are rarely a threat, especially if the nest is high in a tree. Bald faced hornets are known to be more aggressive than most, so pros should be hired to do the job.
• $175 – $350 | Mud Daubers – These are a type of wasp that build nests from mud. The nests are usually located under eaves, on porch ceilings and other locations that are easy to access and spray or scrape away.
• $150 – $425 | Red Wasps – These small wasps aren’t aggressive and usually won’t sting if left alone.
• $400 – $1,050 | Carpenter Bees and Wasps – Both do significant damage to a home and should be professionally exterminated ASAP. They’re locations can be difficult to find and reach, raising the cost to exterminate them.
• $175 – $1,100+ | Yellow Jackets – Because they can have deep and extensive ground nests, extermination can be difficult and require several visits.

Hornet, Bee and Wasp Extermination Cost by Location

Where the insects nest is a factor in the cost to exterminate them.

•  $375 – $950 | Attic – Because attics are difficult to access, the cost is relatively high.
•  $200 – $550 | Chimney – Exterminating pests in a chimney requires more time. The interior flue of the chimney must be sealed, so wasps or hornets don’t enter the home. And the extermination is done from ladders from the outside. More time equals higher exterminator prices.
•  $475 – $1,100 | Walls – Vacuuming bees out of a wall nest is done from the attic. Access is difficult, and the process takes time. The cost to exterminate bees is usually followed by additional expenses related to repairing drywall and/or framing damage.
•  $0 – $400 | Eaves – Cost is higher if the eave is two stories high vs an eave on a single story home. If you’ve got honeybees, as noted, local beekeepers might remove them for free. Make a beekeeper your first call rather than an exterminator, but only if you haven’t already sprayed them.
• $0 – $375 | Trees – How high the nest or colony is in the tree is the major factor in cost here. If the swarm is honeybees, call a beekeeper first.
•  $275 – $1,050 | Ground – It is difficult to kill all yellow jackets and other ground nesters in one application. If a second or third visit is required, the cost rises.

Permits, Inspection, and Labor Costs

Permits and/or Inspection Cost

• $0 | Wasp and hornet control does not require a permit, though the exterminator should be licensed and insured.

Exterminator Labor Cost

Labor costs are not itemized in most exterminator estimates. If costs were broken down by the hour, it would come to $40-$60 per hour for labor.

Treatment Time

Here are the various wasp extermination methods (and bees or hornets) and the time involved.

• Up to 1 Hour | Inspection, when necessary
• 30 Minutes to 1 Hour | Spraying in an open space or the ground
•  1-3 Hours | Vacuuming in a wall
• Up to 1 Hour per Visit | Dusting a hanging nest or ground location. One to three visits are required.
• Up to 2 Hours | Shaking or enclosing a nest or swarm in a tree

Related Projects

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DIY or Hire a Pro

Some types of bee/wasp/hornet infestation can be handled without professional help. These include:

Hanging nests – Methods include enclosing the nest at night (when most insects are in the nest), and cutting off the branch holding the nest, spraying (or burning) the nest at night. Insects that escape might rebuild a nest, usually smaller. Persistence is needed to eradicate them all.

Ground nests – Repeated applications of spray or dust/granules will eventually kill the wasps. Running a hose into one of the entrances can speed up eradication.

Chimney, attic, walls – When nests are located in a confined space, it’s best to hire a pro with the equipment, safety gear and methods to successfully exterminate the hornets, bees or wasps.