A peaceful Central California residential street lined with single-family homes — Los Altos, California service area

Stinging Insect Control

Wasp & Bee Removal in Los Altos, CA

Name: 101 Exterminators Inc.
Address: 635 Sanborn Pl Ste 12, Salinas, CA, 93901, US
Telephone: (831) 500-1613
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

101 Exterminators handles wasp and bee removal in Los Altos, from paper wasp nests under ranch eaves to yellowjacket colonies in a hillside bank or a wall void. We are licensed in California under SPCB Lic. #9119 and have worked Santa Clara County since 2005. Honey bees go to a local beekeeper wherever the situation allows, because a colony that can be moved should be moved.

(831) 500-1613Free limited inspection · no obligation

Local Context

A Los Altos Ranch Eave Is a Finished Frame for a Paper Wasp Nest

Paper wasps (Polistes) need one thing from a building: a sheltered horizontal surface they can hang an open comb from. Los Altos ranch architecture supplies it everywhere — wide overhanging eaves, open rafter tails, patio covers, pergolas over back terraces, and the carport ceilings on the post-and-beam houses. A nest started in April under an eave return off Grant Road is a functioning colony by July, and most homeowners do not notice it until someone walks under it with a ladder.

Yellowjackets (Vespula) work from the ground instead. They take over abandoned rodent burrows, cavities in cut banks, and voids in walls and utility boxes, which is why the west side of the city produces so many of the calls. The streets above Foothill Expressway, the Highlands and Woodland Acres sit against Rancho San Antonio and Hidden Villa, and the dry grassland there is full of burrows. Colonies peak from August into October, and that is when foraging shifts to protein and sugar — a patio table, a trash can, a dog bowl.

Honey bee swarms are a spring event, roughly March into June. A swarm is a colony in transit: it clusters on a branch or a fence post for a day or three while scouts look for a permanent cavity. Los Altos gives them plenty of bloom to work with, including the ten-acre heritage apricot orchard preserved at the Civic Center since 1901. The problem starts when the scouts settle on a gap in a 1960s soffit, a chimney or a wall void, because an established hive means comb and honey inside the structure — and when a hive later fails, that honey draws ants and rodents into the same wall.

How We Work in Los Altos

We identify the species and find every nest before treating anything, including the ones inside voids. On a Los Altos ranch house that means walking the full eave line, the patio cover and pergola framing, attic and gable vents, and then the ground: valve boxes, burrow openings along the fence line, and cut banks on the hillside lots. Wall-void honey bee colonies get the comb removed after treatment, not just the entrance sealed, because leaving comb behind creates a second pest problem in the same cavity.

Los Altos Climate

Los Altos has a warm Silicon Valley climate with summer temperatures reaching 84–92°F and mild winters with 15–17 inches of rainfall. Its central valley position gives it consistent temperatures without the hillside extremes of Los Gatos or Saratoga. The mature tree canopy throughout the city creates a slightly cooler, more humid microenvironment at the street level that maintains Argentine ant activity and soil moisture year-round.

Housing Stock

Los Altos is defined by its 1950s–1960s ranch homes on well-maintained lots throughout virtually the entire city. These homes — now 60–70 years old — represent the heart of the drywood termite risk in Los Altos: original wood framing, original window trim and exterior siding, and crawl spaces that have been aging for decades. Custom and newer construction exists in smaller quantities near the hills adjacent to Los Altos Hills.

Why Local Expertise Matters

Los Altos' uniformly established 1950s–1960s housing stock means the entire city faces a similar generation of termite vulnerability simultaneously — we see this reflected in the consistent inspection findings throughout the city. Our 20 years of service in Los Altos gives us a thorough understanding of where drywood termite activity concentrates in this specific housing era.

Warning Signs

Signs You Need Wasps & Bees Service in Los Altos

We treat yellow jacket nests (including in-ground and wall-void nests), paper wasp nests under eaves and overhangs, European and bald-faced hornet nests, and mud dauber tubes. For honey bee hives established in walls or structures, we provide complete treatment and nest removal including comb excavation to prevent future odor and secondary pest attraction. For accessible swarms, we can arrange transfer to a local beekeeper.

Visible nest under eaves, in shrubs, attached to window frames, in tree cavities, or in attic vents

Repeated wasp activity near a specific location on the structure — nest is likely nearby

Wasp or bee activity around a specific gap, crack, or vent opening — indicates cavity nest inside

In-ground yellow jacket activity — small hole in soil or mulch bed with wasps entering and exiting

Honey bee swarm visible on a tree, shrub, or structure — usually a temporary cluster

Buzzing sounds within walls, soffits, or chimney area — established honey bee hive

How It Works

Our Wasps & Bees Process in Los Altos

Every job follows the same methodical approach — no shortcuts, no guesswork. Here is what to expect when you work with us in Los Altos.

Species & Nest Location

We identify the species and locate all nesting sites, including in-wall or structural voids that require special access. Species determines the treatment approach.

Treatment in Protective Equipment

Our technicians treat nests in full protective equipment — veil, suit, and gloves. Evening treatment is preferred for ground nests when foragers have returned to the nest.

Nest Removal

After treatment, accessible nests are physically removed. For wall-void nests, we advise on comb removal to prevent secondary pest attraction from wax, honey, and larval material.

Entry Point Sealing

We seal entry points used by cavity-nesting species to prevent re-colonization by a new colony in the same location.

Why 101 Exterminators

Wasps & Bees You Can Count On in Los Altos

Bee Relocation Option

When possible, we work with local beekeepers to relocate honey bee swarms and accessible hives rather than exterminating them. Good for bees, good for local agriculture.

Wall-Void Nest Removal

Nests inside walls require more than just treatment — the comb must be removed to prevent honey seepage, secondary pests, and odor. We handle the complete remediation.

Same-Day Service for Emergencies

A wasp nest near an entry door, child's play area, or pet run is a safety emergency. We prioritize same-day or next-day service for these situations.

Evening Ground Nest Treatment

Yellow jacket ground nests are treated at dusk when the full colony has returned, maximizing effectiveness and minimizing any risk of disrupted forager activity.

Common Questions

Wasp & Bee Removal FAQs for Los Altos

There is a paper wasp nest under the eave of my Los Altos ranch house. Does it have to come down?

It depends entirely on where it is. A small comb on a back eave that nobody passes under can often be left alone through the season, since Polistes colonies die off in winter and do not reuse the nest. A nest over a door, above a walkway, near a play area, or anywhere someone with a venom allergy passes should come down. The eave returns and patio cover framing on Los Altos ranch houses are where we find most of them, and a spring inspection catches them while the colony is still a few individuals.

A swarm of bees settled in a tree in my Los Altos yard. What should I do?

Leave it alone and give it a few days. A swarm is a colony looking for a home, it is carrying no brood or honey to defend, and it is generally docile — most move on within one to three days on their own. Call if it has not moved after that, or if you see bees going in and out of a gap in the siding, soffit or chimney, because that means scouts chose your structure and comb building has started. Accessible swarms can often be transferred to a local beekeeper rather than treated.

Why are yellowjackets suddenly all over our Los Altos patio in September?

Because the colony has peaked and its diet has changed. Through spring and summer yellowjacket foragers hunt insects to feed larvae; by late summer the colony is at maximum population and the workers switch to scavenging protein and sugar for themselves. That is when they find your table, the grill and the trash. Keeping food covered, rinsing recycling and using sealed bins reduces the draw, but the durable fix is finding and treating the nest — usually a ground burrow or a wall void within a short distance of the patio.

Local Pest Pressure

Common Pests We Treat in Los Altos

Every area has its own pest profile shaped by climate, housing, and geography. These are the pests we see and treat most often in Los Altos — tap any one to learn how to identify it and what treatment involves.

Drywood Termites

1950s–1960s ranch homes throughout Los Altos have original wood framing that is now 60–70 years old — prime territory for established drywood termite colonies

Argentine Ants

Supercolonies extend throughout the fully-developed residential grid, supported by the consistently irrigated landscaping that maintains soil moisture year-round

Roof Rats

Dense mature urban tree canopy throughout Los Altos provides widespread arboreal rat habitat with direct roofline access to older homes via overhanging branches