Yes, yellowjackets can nest inside house wall voids and it’s a serious problem. If this is happening to you, call a professional and do not try to remove it on your own.
There’s nothing disconcerting in quite the same way as a bunch of yellowjackets flying around inside your house’s walls. All it takes is a gap in the siding or soffits to slip in. Then the queen starts building and you could have thousands of yellowjackets in your walls by the summer.
Wasps like places where they won’t be disturbed. Wall voids are great for that. Queen yellowjackets can fit in openings about the size of a dime. Your walls probably have many such gaps.
You can tell if you have wasps in your wall if you see steady two-way traffic in and out of a small opening on a warm afternoon. You might also hear a buzzing or rustling inside the wall, particularly at night. If you see wasps showing up in upstairs rooms with no obvious way in, that can also be another sign wasps are in the walls.
If you suspect wasps are in your wall, call a professional. This is dangerous to try to fix on your own. Don’t try sealing entry holes while wasps are in there. Yellowjackets can number in the thousands and they will chew and push toward light until they find another opening. That opening might just be inside your home. Also avoid getting on a ladder and spraying into a hole. Doing this can cause a bunch of wasps to come out and attack at once, and you to fall off a ladder while trying to get away.
Professionals can treat wasps inside walls. Once activity stops, they can then close the opening and address any lingering nest material. This also discourages rebuilding.
If wasps are coming and going from your walls, Mosquito Squad of Mount Laurel can help. Mosquito Squad locates and treats stinging insect nests, including wall void colonies, and treats the openings they use. This will help you protect your home before the next season's queens arrive.
