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For professional stinging insect control across Chicago’s north and northwest suburbs, Quick Kill Exterminating Co. has been keeping families safe since 1990. Yellow jackets, paper wasps, bald-faced hornets, and carpenter bees build nests in eaves, soffits, ground burrows, wall voids, and landscaping throughout our service area — and a single nest can house hundreds to thousands of aggressive insects by late summer. Stinging insects send more people to the emergency room than any other pest in Illinois. Our trained technicians locate every nest on your property, eliminate it safely, and treat the surrounding area to prevent rebuilding. Call (847) 724-1511 for same-day service when you need it most.
Yellow jackets are the most dangerous stinging insect in our service area. They build nests underground in old rodent burrows, inside wall voids, under concrete stoops, and in landscape timber. A mature colony contains 1,000 to 5,000 workers by late summer — and unlike honeybees, each yellow jacket can sting repeatedly. They become extremely aggressive when defending the nest, and ground nests are especially hazardous because people step on them unknowingly while mowing or walking through the yard.
How to identify yellow jackets: Bright yellow and black banding, smooth body (not fuzzy), approximately 1/2 inch long. They fly in a rapid, side-to-side pattern and are commonly seen around garbage cans, outdoor food, and sugary drinks from mid-summer through fall.
Paper wasps build open, umbrella-shaped nests under eaves, porch ceilings, deck railings, window frames, mailboxes, and playground equipment. Their nests are smaller than yellow jacket colonies (typically 20-75 workers), but paper wasps are protective of their nest and will sting anyone who gets too close. Multiple nests on the same structure are common — we frequently find three to five nests during a single inspection.
How to identify paper wasps: Slender body, long legs that dangle during flight, brownish-red to dark brown with yellow markings. Approximately 3/4 to 1 inch long. They fly slowly and deliberately compared to yellow jackets.
Bald-faced hornets build large, enclosed paper nests — often the size of a football or basketball — in trees, shrubs, under eaves, and on the sides of buildings. A mature colony contains 400-700 workers that are extremely aggressive when the nest is disturbed. They can sting repeatedly and will chase perceived threats for a considerable distance. Never attempt to remove a bald-faced hornet nest yourself — their defensive response is immediate and intense.
How to identify bald-faced hornets: Black body with white markings on the face and abdomen, approximately 3/4 inch long. Their large, gray, teardrop-shaped paper nests are distinctive and usually visible from a distance.
Carpenter bees don’t build traditional nests — they drill perfectly round 1/2-inch holes into wood to create tunneling galleries where they lay eggs. Fascia boards, deck railings, pergolas, wooden trim, and unpainted wood structures are common targets. While carpenter bees rarely sting (males are aggressive but cannot sting, females can but rarely do), the structural damage they cause accumulates over years as new generations reuse and expand existing galleries. Woodpecker damage often follows as birds drill into the wood to feed on carpenter bee larvae.
How to identify carpenter bees: Large (3/4 to 1 inch), resembling bumble bees but with a smooth, shiny black abdomen (bumble bees have fuzzy abdomens). Perfectly round 1/2-inch holes in wood with sawdust below are the telltale sign.
Mud daubers build small tube-shaped nests from mud on exterior walls, under eaves, in garages, and in sheds. They are solitary wasps (not colonial) and rarely sting humans. While not dangerous, their mud nests are unsightly and can stain surfaces. We remove existing nests and treat to prevent rebuilding.
Quick Kill does not exterminate honeybee colonies. Honeybees are essential pollinators, and we recommend contacting a local beekeeper for live removal and relocation. If you’re unsure whether you’re dealing with honeybees or yellow jackets, call us — we’ll identify the species and advise you on the best course of action at no charge.
Overwintered queens emerge and begin building new nests. Nests are very small at this stage — often just a few cells with a single queen. This is the ideal time to catch and eliminate nests before colonies grow. Early-season inspections can prevent major problems later.
Colonies grow rapidly through the summer months. Worker populations peak in July and August, and nests that were barely visible in May become large and heavily defended. This is when most stinging incidents occur — especially with ground-nesting yellow jackets that people discover while mowing or doing yard work.
Colonies reach maximum size and become increasingly aggressive as they compete for dwindling food sources. Yellow jackets are especially problematic at outdoor events, around garbage cans, and near sugary food and drinks. New queens leave the nest to mate and find overwintering sites, while the remaining colony dies off with the first hard freeze.
Over-the-counter sprays are dangerous and often ineffective. Spraying a visible nest from 15 feet away with a can of wasp spray might kill a few workers, but it also agitates the colony. Hundreds of angry wasps emerge immediately — and if the nest is near a door, window, or outdoor living area, someone gets stung. Ground nests and wall-void nests are especially dangerous to treat without professional equipment because the colony’s full size is hidden from view.
We locate every nest — not just the obvious ones. During our inspection, we survey the entire structure and property. Multiple nests on a single home are extremely common, and the nest causing the most concern is often not the only one present. We treat them all in a single visit.
Our treatment includes a 30-day warranty. If stinging insects return to a treated area within 30 days, we come back at no additional charge.
We inspect the entire roofline, eaves, soffits, window frames, door frames, deck and porch areas, landscaping, ground level, and outbuildings. We identify every species present and locate all active nests — including hidden nests in wall voids, underground, and inside landscape features.
We treat each nest with professional-grade products that eliminate the colony quickly. For aerial nests (paper wasps, bald-faced hornets), we treat and remove the nest. For ground nests (yellow jackets), we treat the entry point and surrounding soil. For wall-void nests, we apply product directly into the void. For carpenter bees, we treat active galleries and seal entry holes.
We apply a residual treatment to the roofline, eaves, soffits, window frames, and other common nesting sites. This discourages new colonies from establishing throughout the remainder of the season.
Because new queens establish nests throughout spring and summer, a single treatment in June doesn’t prevent a new nest in August. Our quarterly maintenance program includes stinging insect inspection and treatment at every visit — catching new nests early before colonies grow large enough to become dangerous. Clients on our maintenance program rarely deal with major stinging insect problems because we eliminate nests while they’re still small.
We provide stinging insect control throughout Chicago’s north and northwest suburbs from our Wheeling headquarters, including Arlington Heights, Deerfield, Elk Grove Village, Glencoe, Glenview, Highland Park, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Kenilworth, Kildeer, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lake Zurich, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Lincolnwood, Long Grove, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Palatine, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Riverwoods, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood, Vernon Hills, Wauconda, Wheeling, Wilmette, Winnetka, and surrounding communities.
We offer same-day service for stinging insect emergencies. Nests near doorways, playgrounds, pools, and outdoor dining areas are priorities — call (847) 724-1511 and we’ll get a technician to you as quickly as possible.
Yes. We use EPA-registered products applied directly to nests and targeted nesting areas. Simply keep family members and pets away from treated areas until dry — typically about 30 minutes.
Absolutely. Wall-void nests are common — especially yellow jackets that enter through weep holes, gaps in siding, or cracks around windows. We treat the void directly to eliminate the colony without tearing open the wall.
Not immediately. Sealing a nest entry before all workers have returned traps live wasps inside your wall, and they may chew through drywall into your living space. We’ll advise you on when it’s safe to seal — typically 48-72 hours after treatment.
Cost depends on the species, number of nests, accessibility, and whether wall-void treatment is needed. We provide a quote before any work begins — call (847) 724-1511.
We do not exterminate honeybee colonies. We recommend contacting a local beekeeper for live removal. If you’re unsure what you’re dealing with, call us — we’ll identify the species at no charge and point you in the right direction.