Hornet Control in Bandera, TX: What Counts as a Hornet Here?

When people around Bandera say "hornet," they can mean several different insects, and only one of them is actually reported as a hornet in Texas: the baldfaced hornet, which AgriLife says belongs to the yellowjacket family anyway. Most hornet calls turn out to be yellowjackets nesting in the ground or a wall, paper wasps under an eave, or a big solitary wasp like a cicada killer. Find the nest, match it below and follow the link to that insect's Bandera page; for a nest near the house, call or text Pest Trappers at (210) 281-1064 or book online.

Four "hornet" names and what each means here #

• Baldfaced hornet. Black and white, about 3/4 inch, building an enclosed gray paper nest, usually in a tree. AgriLife calls it "the only 'hornet' reported in Texas" (E-239), though no source we found says how common it is around Bandera. See baldfaced hornets in Bandera.
• Yellowjackets. Black and yellow, about 1/2 inch, nesting mostly underground and sometimes in walls. AgriLife notes that people often call them hornets. See yellowjackets in Bandera.
• European hornet. A large brown-and-yellow hornet of the eastern and central U.S. No source we checked records it in Texas. See the European hornet question.
• Northern giant hornet (the "murder hornet"). Never found in Texas, and declared eradicated from the U.S. in December 2024. See what Bandera giant-hornet sightings really are.

Find the nest, find the insect #

The nest is the most reliable clue:

• Closed gray paper nest, pear- or football-shaped, in a tree or under an eave, with a hole near the bottom: baldfaced hornet.
• Hole in the ground, or a gap in siding, with steady traffic: yellowjackets. The paper carton is hidden inside.
• Open comb with the cells showing, hanging from one stalk: a paper wasp. See paper wasps in Bandera.
• Small gray paper ball high in a tree with tiny dark wasps: Mexican honey wasps.
• No nest at all, just a huge wasp: probably a cicada killer digging in a lawn or a tarantula hawk on flowers. Both rarely sting people.

Tall river trees and a lot of open ground #

Bandera's setting favors both kinds of hornet-style nest. Up high, the Medina River corridor through Bandera County is lined with willows, sycamore, bald cypress and pecan, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD), and AgriLife says baldfaced hornet nests usually hang in trees, often well off the ground. A nest high in a riverbank tree, far from where anyone walks, can often be left until frost ends the colony.

Down low, there is a great deal of ground. The 78003 ZIP covers 226.7 square miles, and the city takes up just 0.5% of it (Census ZCTA file). Yards, fence lines, roadsides and embankments are where yellowjackets dig in, and AgriLife warns that mowing vibration can set off an attack. On a rural Bandera lot, the "hornet" that comes boiling out of the grass is nearly always a yellowjacket.

When a "hornet" nest needs a professional #

AgriLife's wasp bulletin says that because of the hazards and how hard some nests are to reach, wasp control is usually a job for professionals. Its Insects in the City blog adds that established hornet and yellowjacket colonies should be handled by pros. Until someone comes:

• Mark the nest and keep children, pets and mowers well back.
• Do not spray just the outside of an aerial nest; Penn State says that riles the colony for days.
• Do not pour gasoline into a ground nest or plug a hole in a wall while the colony is active.
• Anyone with a venom allergy or heart condition should stay away.
• If chased, cover your head and get into a building or vehicle; do not jump into water.

Booking a hornet inspection with Pest Trappers #

Tell the office whether the nest is in a tree, the ground, a wall or an eave. A technician identifies the insect, locates every nest, and explains the options, including leaving a remote nest alone. Any treatment follows the product label, and the price comes after the inspection. Tree pruning is not part of the service. Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549), a family-owned company licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, handles stinging insects across Bandera, and the office confirms your time. Our Bandera page lists other local services.

Frequently asked questions #