Local wasp information

Wasp control in Washington

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Wasps in Washington: what to know

Around Washington

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see wasps, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Wasps in Washington: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which wasps actually live in Washington, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

four northern giant hornets' nests between 2020 and 2021

Northern giant hornet nests eradicated in Washington (USDA APHIS)

The hornet is declared eradicated; report any suspected sighting to WSDA.

USDA APHIS

Nearly half

Share of confirmed northern giant hornet detections that came from public reports

Public reporting remains the backbone of WSDA's hornet surveillance.

USDA APHIS

Wasp species recorded in Washington

Western yellowjacket (Vespula pensylvanica) — UC IPM: 'the most commonly encountered species and is sometimes called the "meat bee"' in California and the Western states; ground and wall-void nester and aggressive scavenger…
German yellowjacket (Vespula germanica) — UC IPM: 'becoming more common in many urban areas of California, where it frequently nests in houses.' Named among Ohio's three main species (German, Eastern, Common yellowjacke…
Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) — Penn State: 'found in most of the 48 contiguous states and D.C., throughout Canada and in Alaska'; actually an aerial yellowjacket that builds the football-shaped gray paper nes…
European paper wasp (Polistes dominula) — Penn State: 'first reported in 1978 around Boston', now 'coast to coast ... although they are apparently less common in the Southeast and Great Plains'; nests in 'eaves of struc…

When wasps are busiest in Washington

Western yellowjacket queens start nests each spring, colonies grow through summer and scavenge aggressively in fall before dying off; only fertilized queens overwinter (USU).

APHIS: the northern giant hornet 'first captured national attention in late 2019 when it was detected near Blaine, Washington' and 'has been eradicated from Washington State and the United States'. WSDA maintains hornet identification and sighting-report pages.

Rules that apply in Washington

For context, nationally

788 — Deaths from hornet, wasp, and bee stings, 2011–2021 (US). CDC MMWR
72 deaths per year — Average annual sting deaths, 2011–2021 (US). CDC MMWR

Sources: USDA APHIS; CDC MMWR; Yellowjackets and Other Social Wasps (Pest Notes); Baldfaced Hornet; European Paper Wasp. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Washington cities

Auburn

Marine West Coast · suburban setting

Wasp control in Washington

Wasps in Washington: what to know

Around Washington

What to note

A useful next step

Wasps in Washington: what the public record shows

Wasp species recorded in Washington

When wasps are busiest in Washington

Rules that apply in Washington

For context, nationally

Explore Washington cities

Auburn

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