Wasp, Hornet and Asian Hornet Nest Removal in Île-de-France
English-speaking wasp nest removal and hornet nest removal across Seine-et-Marne (77), Essonne (91), Val-de-Marne (94) and Seine-Saint-Denis (93). Certibiocide-certified exterminator, 25 years in the trade, emergency call-out within 24 hours, 7 days a week. Wasp nest removal cost starts at €80, and the price is agreed on the phone before anyone travels.
Wasp or hornet nest at your home?
Fixed price on the phone. Same-week call-out, usually within 24 hours.
📞 +33 6 31 26 63 84Identify what you have
Before calling a pest control company, it helps to know what you are dealing with. Wasps, European hornets, Asian hornets, honey bees and bumblebees all behave differently, and only some of them need treating. Describe what you see on the phone and we will usually identify the species straight away.
Common and German wasps
Bright yellow and black, smooth and shiny, with a very narrow waist. They build grey paper nests inside roller shutter boxes, lofts, under roof tiles, in wall cavities, in garden sheds and in air bricks. A mature colony holds several thousand insects by late summer.
These are the nests we remove most often. They defend a radius of several metres and sting repeatedly.
Paper wasps
Longer, slimmer, with dangling legs in flight. Their nest is an open comb with no outer envelope, built in the open air: under a windowsill, inside a roller shutter box, on a railing, under a garden table, in a folded parasol, inside a wheelie bin lid.
Location is what matters, not temperament. A paper wasp is not aggressive and its defence zone is only one to two metres. But it nests at face height and within arm's reach, in places you walk past every single day. That is why the nest comes down.
European hornets
Large, brown and yellow, and much calmer than their reputation suggests. They nest in roof spaces, hollow trees, chimneys, wall voids and old shutters, and they fly at night towards lit windows.
A European hornet nest near a house, a terrace or a doorway is treated, whatever its size. The insect is placid, the location rarely is.
Asian hornets
Darker than the European hornet, with a black abdomen crossed by a single orange band and distinctive yellow leg tips. The primary nest appears in spring, often under a shelter. The secondary nest is built high in a tree over summer and can hold more than 2,000 insects.
Height is never an obstacle. We have several methods depending on the setup, including telescopic poles for nests well above roof level.
Where wasp and hornet nests are found
Most callers describe the same handful of places. If you have insects coming and going from one fixed point on the building, that point is almost always the nest entrance.
| Where you see them | Most likely species |
|---|---|
| Roller shutter box, inside or above a window | Common wasps or paper wasps |
| Loft, attic or roof space | Common wasps, European hornets |
| Under roof tiles, along the ridge | Common wasps |
| Hole in a stone wall or air brick | Wasps, sometimes honey bees |
| Chimney or flue | European hornets, honey bees |
| High in a tree, football-sized, closed | Asian hornets |
| Hole in the ground, lawn or bank | Ground-nesting wasps |
| Garden shed, log store, parasol, bin | Paper wasps |
How the removal works
1. You call. Describe the insects, where they enter and how high it is. We identify the species and the method on the phone in most cases.
2. Fixed price, agreed in advance. You are told the price before we travel. The price quoted is the price invoiced. The quote is free and there is no call-out fee on top.
3. Treatment. We locate the nest, neutralise the colony with an approved professional product, then remove the nest where access allows. Telescopic pole for nests at height, injection under tiles for nests inside a roof.
4. Guarantee. If the nest is not destroyed, we come back free of charge.
A treated nest is not recolonised. Wasps and hornets never reuse another colony's nest, so once it is dealt with, that spot is finished for good. The empty nest itself falls apart over the following months because there are no workers left to maintain it.
How much does wasp nest removal cost?
From €80. The final price depends on two things only: how far you are from our base near Melun, and how the nest is reached. It never depends on the species — wasps, European hornets and Asian hornets are charged the same.
A nest in a shutter box at ground level and a nest twelve metres up a tree are not the same job, and the price reflects that. You are given the figure on the phone before any call-out, so there is no surprise on the doorstep.
See the full price list by area (in French).
In France, wasp nest removal is not a free public service. The fire brigade only attends when there is an immediate danger to people, and your home insurance almost never covers it. If you rent, neither your policy nor the landlord's standard policy will pay for it. Anyone advertising it as free is not telling you the whole story.
Why you should not do it yourself
Do not block the entrance. It is the most common mistake and the most expensive one. Trapped insects do not die, they dig. They come through plasterboard, around light fittings and into the room next door — often a bedroom.
Do not use a shop-bought aerosol on a mature nest. A partial treatment scatters an agitated colony without killing it. You end up with hundreds of angry insects and the nest still in place.
Never work at height on a ladder near a nest. Most serious accidents come from the fall, not from the stings.
Stings matter too. A wasp or hornet can sting many times, unlike a bee, and a colony defends its nest as a group. If you are allergic, a single sting near the throat or on the face is a medical emergency. That is the reason this is a job for someone with protective equipment and approved products.
Bees and bumblebees: we save them first
Honey bees. A swarm hanging on a branch, or a nest we can reach, is collected alive by a beekeeper we work with. That is the first option, not a concession. When the colony is deep inside a roof, a wall or a chimney the queen cannot be reached and recovery is impossible: the colony is treated, the wax removed and the entry sealed so it does not happen again.
In every case you call us, never the beekeeper directly. We ask for their opinion whenever there is doubt about whether a recovery is feasible.
Bumblebees. A genuine bumblebee nest at ground level, at the bottom of a garden where nobody walks, can be left alone. But be careful with identification: a buzzing coming from a roof, a wall, a shutter box or a chimney is almost never bumblebees. It is wasps or European hornets, and that does need treating.
Areas we cover
We are based in Le Châtelet-en-Brie, near Melun, and cover:
- Seine-et-Marne (77) — Melun, Fontainebleau, Avon, Meaux, Chelles, Provins, Coulommiers, Nemours, Montereau and the surrounding villages
- Essonne (91) — Évry-Courcouronnes, Étampes, Longjumeau, Orsay, Dourdan, Massy, Palaiseau and around
- Val-de-Marne (94) — Créteil, Vitry-sur-Seine, Maisons-Alfort, Alfortville, Fresnes, Villejuif and around
- Seine-Saint-Denis (93) — Montreuil, Aulnay-sous-Bois, Drancy, Noisy-le-Grand and around
- Part of the Yonne (89) — Sens, Pont-sur-Yonne, Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
Every commune we serve has its own page on the French version of this site.
Frequently asked questions
Do you speak English?
Yes. Call +33 6 31 26 63 84 and describe the problem. If the line is busy we call back.
How quickly can you come?
Usually within 24 hours, 7 days a week, including bank holidays. In peak season, from July to September, an active nest close to a door or a window is treated as a priority.
How much does it cost to remove a wasp nest in France?
From €80 with us, depending on your commune and how the nest is reached. The price is agreed on the phone before we travel and is the same for wasps and hornets.
Will the fire brigade remove a wasp nest?
Only when there is an immediate danger to people. For a nest in a garden, a loft or a shutter box, they will refer you to a private company. This has been the case across France for well over a decade.
Does my home insurance cover it?
Almost never in a standard policy. If you rent, neither your insurance nor the landlord's usually covers wasp nest removal.
Will the wasps come back to the same place?
Not to the same nest. Wasps and hornets never reuse another colony's nest. A new queen could choose the same building in a later year, which is why we seal the entry point when the nest is inside a wall or a roof.
Can you treat a nest high up in a tree?
Yes. Height is not an obstacle: we work with telescopic poles and adapt the method to the setup. Asian hornet nests are routinely treated well above roof level.
What should I do while I wait?
Keep the windows on that side closed, keep children and pets away from the entry point, and do not block the hole. Do not spray anything at it. An untouched colony is far calmer than a provoked one.
Wasps or hornets at your place?
We speak English. Free quote by phone, fixed price agreed in advance, call-out within 24 hours across Île-de-France.
📞 +33 6 31 26 63 84Contact form