Yellow Jacket Removal in Brielle, NJ during Home Protection Plan

During a routine Home Protection Plan (HPP) servicing on a homeowner in Brielle, NJ, I was performing a exterior perimeter inspection of the home to look for evidence of any pest infestations and found wasps.

With our Home Protection Plan customers we perform periodic inspections and preventative treatments, and the homeowners can contact us at any time for any pests concerned under the plan, and we take care of the problem at no additional charge. It’s a great way for homeowners to budget for prevention of pest infestations. One benefit of these plans is that we often uncover infestations that were unknown to the homeowner. That’s what happened here. 

During my exterior inspection, I observed ground-nesting yellow jackets entering and exiting a hole that was going into a side of the home. The homeowner had no idea of the problem because it was on a side of the house that is rarely walked by. 

I stood back to watch their flight pattern. These insects typically fly in and out of their nest in the same direction, I prefer to not be in harm’s way when treating the area. Yellow jackets, as all insects, operate instinctually and their behaviors are remarkably consistent. Pest control technicians use this to their advantage when treating insects, especially with social nest-building insects where it is essential to eliminate the queen and all of the members of the colony in order to resolve the infestation. 

Based on the location of the nest, I decided that the most effective treatment would be to dust the entry point of the nest. This dust is waterproof and stays active for as long as it is applied. As soon as the dust coats the entry point, instinct takes over. The yellow jackets will instinctively begin cleaning the area in an affect to protect the queen. However, by removing the dust, they wind up not only infesting themselves, but they bring the product inside the nest where it gets distributed throughout. It does not take long for the entire colony to be eliminated. It is important to give the product some time to work since there are foraging wasps that are out and will be returning later to the nest. I’ll schedule a follow-up to ensure that there is no more yellow jacket activity, and at that time, I’ll seal the hole with silicone to ensure that no further yellow jacket activity will occur in that location. Yellow jackets often return to the same location to try to build a new nest, and it is important to stop them in their tracks.