Wasps and Yellowjackets in Eastvale and Corona This Time of Year

# Wasps and Yellowjackets in Eastvale: Why September Nests Get Nasty

By late summer, yellowjacket colonies in Eastvale and Corona are big, hungry, and interested in your patio. That is why a nest you ignored in June becomes a problem at a Labor Day barbecue. Paper wasps under a patio cover are a different animal: usually less chasey, still not something you want over the back door.

We pull nests off Eastvale homes every week this time of year. Homes in [Eastvale](https://www.ellettexterminator.com/locations/eastvale/) and [Corona](https://www.ellettexterminator.com/locations/corona/) see the same late-summer spike. Here is how to tell what you have and what not to do with a can of spray from the garage. For broader service options, see our [pest control services](https://www.ellettexterminator.com/services/).

## Paper wasp vs yellowjacket vs honey bee

**Paper wasps.** Open umbrella nest, visible cells, often under a patio cover, play-set roof, or the lip of a tile roof. They will defend if you get close. They are not the ones farming your soda can from ten feet away.

**Yellowjackets.** Often underground, in a wall void, or in a buried irrigation box. You see a stream of yellow-and-black insects in and out of a small hole. These are the ones wrecking outdoor meals and chasing people across the yard. Do not plug the hole.

**Honey bees.** Fuzzy, rounder, usually a swarm on a branch or a colony in a wall with a different sound. We are pest control, not a hobbyist bee removal club. If they are honey bees in a wall, say so on the call so we handle it the right way instead of treating them like yellowjackets.

If you are not sure, a phone video of the entrance from a safe distance is enough.

## Why this is a September problem

Colonies peak in late summer in the Inland Empire. Protein hunting turns into sugar hunting. Your trash, ripe fruit, and pet food become the job site. Corona Hills slopes and Eastvale parks with irrigation boxes are frequent nest spots. A nest in a block-wall cavity will keep producing until we treat the cavity, not the air around it.

## Do not do this

- Do not spray the entrance at noon and stand there to see if it “worked.”

- Do not pour gasoline in a ground nest. That is how you get a hole, a smell, and still have yellowjackets.

- Do not tent the play set with a tarp and hope.

- Do not send a teenager up a ladder with a store can at dusk unless you like ER visits.

Night is better than midday because more of the colony is home, but “better” is still not “safe for an amateur on a 12-foot patio cover.”

## What we do on a nest call

We confirm the species and the actual nest location (the hole you see is often not the nest). We treat so the colony is not just displaced into the wall. We come back if activity continues. For a patio-cover paper wasp nest, it is often a short, contained job. For a wall void, we talk through access so we do not drill a finished ceiling if we do not have to.

Tell us if anyone in the home has a sting allergy before we arrive. That changes staging.

## Prevention that is not folklore

Keep trash lids actually closed. Pick fallen fruit. Don’t leave soda cans on the kids’ table. Seal the gap in the patio cover fascia after we remove the nest, or they will rebuild in the same shadow line. If you host outside a lot in August and September, a maintenance visit beats a panic call at 5pm.

## Call us

Ellett Exterminator. Eastvale and Corona. (888) 273-7891. If it is a ground nest by a play area, say “yellowjackets, kids in the yard” when you call.

## FAQ

**Will they die off in winter if I wait?**

The workers die. Queens overwinter and next year’s nest can start in the same harborage. Waiting is how September becomes every September.

**Can you save the bees?**

If they are honey bees, tell us. The plan is different. We are not going to pretend every stinging insect is a yellowjacket.

**How fast can you come?**

Stinging insects near a door, play set, or bus stop are bumped up. A quiet eave nest with no traffic can wait for a scheduled route stop. We will say which one you are.