My name’s Jay. I’ve been removing wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets all over the GTA for 13 years now. I’ve been stung more times than I can count (lost track after 400), had a nest explode in my face in a Vaughan attic in 2023, and once got chased down a ladder by 200 pissed-off bald-faced hornets in Scarborough. I’m the guy your exterminator calls when it’s too sketchy for them.
If you’re reading this, you’ve either spotted a hornet nest the size of a basketball hanging off your eavestrough in North York, found one inside your shed in Etobicoke, or your kid just got stung 12 times in the backyard in Mississauga. Relax. I got you.
This is the no-bullshit guide to hornet nest removal in Toronto in 2025. Everything I’m telling you is what’s actually happening on the ground right now.
First: Know Your Enemy: Toronto’s Hornet Scene in 2025
We have three main assholes here:
- Bald-faced Hornets (black and white, build those big grey paper footballs) Most common in the GTA right now. Nests as big as 3 feet long this year because of the warm fall. Super aggressive they’ll chase you 50+ feet.
- European Hornets (the big orange/brown ones that look like someone supersized a yellowjacket) Exploded in Toronto since 2020. They chew through drywall and build inside walls. Active at night. Glow under UV light. Yes, really.
- Yellowjackets (small, black and yellow, usually ground nests or inside soffits) Technically not hornets but people call them that. These are the ones that ruin your backyard BBQ in August.
2025 has been the worst year yet. We had a mild winter, wet spring, hot summer, and now this endless warm November. Nests that should be dying off are still pumping out queens. I removed a bald-faced hornet nest on November 8th in Richmond Hill that had over 800 hornets still flying. That’s not normal.
Prices Right Now (What I’m Charging This Week – November 2025)
- Standard aerial nest (hanging from tree/eavestrough, under 15ft) → $249–$349
- Soffit/attic/wall void nest → $399–$599
- Ground nest (yellowjackets in the lawn) → $299–$449
- European hornet nest inside wall (have to cut drywall) → $650–$1,200
- Emergency same-day (after 5pm or weekends) → +$150–$250
- Nest prevention treatment (spring, stops them building) → $199–$299 whole house
I guarantee my work for the entire season. If they come back, I come back. Free.
The Companies That Actually Show Up (And The Ones That Don’t)
The real list from someone who works with these guys:
- Addison Pest Control (the hornet specialists) These are my guys when I’m booked solid. They literally wrote the book on hornet removal in Toronto. Took out a 4-foot bald-faced nest in my neighbour’s maple tree last month. $320 and done in 20 minutes.
- Pestend (yeah, same guys who do bed bugs) 24/7 and they actually answer the phone at 2am. Removed European hornets from my cousin’s wall void in Woodbridge. Had to cut drywall but patched it perfectly.
- GTA Toronto Pest Control Best for ground nests. They have the drench equipment that actually works on yellowjackets.
- Icon Pest Super professional, great for condo buildings and HOAs in downtown Toronto.
- Provincial Pest Control Multilingual techs, perfect for newer neighbourhoods like Brampton where half the street doesn’t speak English well.
The ones I tell people to avoid like the plague:
- Any “$99 hornet removal” on Kijiji. They spray Raid from 20 feet away and run. Nest comes back in 2 weeks.
- The “eco-friendly” companies that use soap and water. Works on 1/10 nests. The other 9 times you just make them furious.
- Any company that says they can do it “from the ground with a pole.” Total bullshit for anything bigger than a softball.
When You Should NOT Wait (Call Right Now If…)
- The nest is bigger than a basketball (that’s 500+ hornets)
- Anyone in your house is allergic (I carry EpiPens for a reason)
- It’s near a door, playground, or pool
- You’re seeing hornets inside your house (means they’re in the walls)
- Your kid/dog already got stung multiple times
- It’s a European hornet nest (these bastards will chew new holes to get back in)
I had a call last week in Ajax the lady waited 3 weeks because “they’re not bothering anyone.” Kid went to grab his bike from the garage, disturbed the nest in the rafters, got stung 47 times. Hospital. Don’t be that parent.
What Actually Happens When We Show Up
Here’s my exact process (suit up, it’s graphic):
- Full Tyvek suit, sealed at wrists/ankles, double gloves, bee veil with zipper tied to the suit.
- Assess from 20+ feet away with binoculars. Count guards, find entrances.
- Wait till after dark (hornets can’t fly below 10°C and they’re all home).
- Approach with red light (they can’t see red).
- Inject professional-grade wasp freeze + residual insecticide directly into the entrance (not the Home Depot crap).
- Wait 10 minutes. Listen for the screaming to stop.
- Cut the nest down (if aerial) and bag it triple-layered.
- Scrape the area and treat with residual dust so survivors can’t restart.
- Check attic/soffits/walls for satellite nests (50% of the time there’s another one).
Whole job usually 30-60 minutes unless it’s in a wall.
Real Stories From This Season (2025)
- Lady in Thornhill had a bald-faced hornet nest inside her kids’ playhouse. Bigger than a beach ball. 900+ hornets. Kid was playing inside it daily. We removed it at 2am so the kids wouldn’t see. $480. She sent me cookies.
- Guy in Oshawa paid some Kijiji clown $120. Guy sprayed Raid and left. Hornets chased him to his van, then attacked the neighbour’s BBQ. 6 people to hospital. I cleaned it up for $550 and ate the cost of the lawsuit risk.
- European hornet nest in a Rosedale mansion’s wall void. Took 3 visits, cut 5 holes in drywall, removed 4 nests total. $2,800 job. Homeowner paid gladly because they were eating his 100-year-old beams.
DIY Hornet Removal: When It’s Okay (And When It’ll Get You Killed)
Okay ONLY if:
- Nest is smaller than a tennis ball
- It’s early season (June)
- It’s hanging free and you can get 20+ feet away
- You have actual wasp freeze spray (not Raid)
- You do it at night
- You have an escape route
Even then, I’ve seen people get wrecked doing “small” nests.
Never DIY if the nest is inside anything or bigger than your head.
Prevention For Next Year (Do This In March)
- Paint or stain all exposed wood (they scrape untreated wood for nest material)
- Hang fake nests (actually works hornets are territorial)
- Get preventative spray in spring ($199 and saves you $400 later)
- Seal every gap bigger than 1/8″ around soffits
- Keep garbage bins tightly closed (yellowjackets love garbage)
Bottom line: If the nest is bigger than a softball or anywhere kids/pets go, call a pro. $300 now or $3,000 in hospital bills later.
I’m booked 10-14 days out right now because of this endless warm weather. If you have a nest, don’t wait for the first frost that never comes.
Call someone who actually does this for a living. Not your buddy with a can of Raid.