Baldfaced Hornet Control in Kerrville, TX
What usually sends Kerrville homeowners looking for this page is a gray paper nest shaped like an upside-down pear, hanging in a tree or tucked under an eave, with black-and-white wasps flying from a hole near the bottom. A nest high up and far from your daily routes can generally stay put. One beside a door, a deck, a swing set or a strip of lawn you mow is worth a professional look while you keep your distance. Text or call (210) 281-1064, or book online, to arrange it.
Does Kerrville actually have baldfaced hornets? #
The Texas A&M AgriLife field guide lists this insect as the one "hornet" on record in Texas, while pointing out that it is really a member of the yellowjacket family (AgriLife Field Guide). Beyond that, the trail goes cold. No source we rely on maps its Texas range or says whether it turns up often west of San Antonio. So we won't claim Kerrville is full of them, and we won't claim they are absent. A big gray nest gets identified on site before anyone recommends treatment.
Oak and juniper country, and lots beyond the city limits #
TPWD sums up the Edwards Plateau, better known as the Hill Country, as a land of juniper and oak woods (TPWD). That matters because AgriLife says this hornet hangs most nests from tree limbs, with an occasional one fixed to a wall or an eave. Wooded yards and tree-lined fences are where to scan.
A Kerrville mailing address also covers far more ground than the city does. Census relationship files show the city takes up only 8.3% of the land in the 78028 ZIP (Census ZCTA file). Census survey estimates put about 41,200 people in that ZIP against about 24,800 in the city, so thousands of Kerrville households sit outside the limits. If yours backs onto trees, a barn or a long fence line, look up into the branches near:
- Driveways, gates and mailbox posts.
- Decks, porches and the eaves of outbuildings.
- Mowed edges, where engine noise passes close to low limbs.
Which gray nest is it? #
Several local insects build paper nests; this comparison helps you describe yours.
| What you see | Most likely builder | Our Kerrville page |
|---|---|---|
| Pear-shaped gray paper, up to about 3 ft long, hole at the bottom; black wasps with pale faces | Baldfaced hornet | This page |
| Gray paper ball in a tree canopy, roughly football to basketball size; small dark wasps | Mexican honey wasp | Mexican honey wasp control |
| Open comb with visible cells, no cover | Paper wasp | Paper wasp control |
| Wasps streaming from a hole in the ground or a wall | Yellowjacket | Yellowjacket control |
The hornet itself runs about 3/4 inch: a dark body with white patches across the face and at the rear end.
Leave it, or have it treated? #
When the nest sits up high and nobody passes under it, letting it be is a reasonable choice. AgriLife ranks these hornets as less quick to attack than the paper wasps and yellowjackets people meet near the house, in part because they build up and away from traffic. A full colony is a queen with a few hundred workers, and by the first hard frost nearly all of them are gone, although no source gives Texas dates.
Close to people, the math changes. Before you decide:
- Spraying just the paper shell backfires. Penn State Extension says it stirs the hornets up and keeps them stinging-ready for days (Penn State).
- AgriLife's advice is to stand 10 to 15 feet back in a bee suit, or to leave it to a professional.
- If they chase you, protect your face and head and get indoors or into a vehicle. Swatting in place or diving into water makes things worse.
- Anyone with a venom allergy or heart condition should not attempt it. Swelling that spreads well beyond the sting, or trouble breathing, needs medical attention quickly.
How Pest Trappers handles baldfaced hornets in Kerrville #
First the technician pins down which insect made the nest, then measures it against your routine: how near it is to doors, decks, play gear and mowing paths, and whether other nests sit on the house or outbuildings. You hear every option, including doing nothing about a remote nest, and any product goes on exactly as its label says. Pricing follows the inspection. The work is carried out under Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549), a family business with a Texas Department of Agriculture license, and the office will confirm your visit time. More on the species is in the baldfaced hornet guide; our Kerrville page covers other pests in town.