Pest library
Free to browse — identification info for every pest we cover. Treatment steps and product picks are part of your subscription.
- Bald-Faced HornetBlack wasps with white/ivory facial markings that build large, enclosed, gray papery nests high in trees or on structures. Defends the nest aggressively when approached.
- Carpenter BeeLarge, robust bees resembling bumblebees but with a shiny, hairless black abdomen. Females bore perfectly round 1/2-inch holes into untreated wood — eaves, decks, fences — to build nesting galleries.
- Cicada Killer WaspVery large solitary wasps, black and yellow, that dig burrows in sandy or bare soil and hunt cicadas to provision their nests. Males are territorial but harmless; females rarely sting unless handled.
- European HornetThe largest true hornet in the US, brown and yellow with a reddish head, that nests in hollow trees or wall voids and is attracted to lights at night.
- Honey BeeGolden-brown, fuzzy bees that live in large colonies and occasionally swarm or establish hives in wall voids and chimneys. Because they're vital pollinators, live removal/relocation is generally preferred over extermination.
- Mud Dauber WaspSlender, non-aggressive wasps that build tube-shaped mud nests on walls, eaves, and ceilings, provisioning them with paralyzed spiders for their larvae.
- Paper WaspSlender wasps with long legs that build open, umbrella-shaped paper nests under eaves, railings, and other overhangs. Generally less aggressive than yellowjackets unless the nest is disturbed.
- YellowjacketBlack-and-yellow banded wasps that nest in the ground, wall voids, or hollow trees, and become aggressive in late summer/fall as colonies peak and food sources dwindle.