Silver Bullet Pest ControlPaper wasps building under the porch ceiling of an old Victorian, or a bald-faced hornet nest the size of a basketball in the oak out back? Silver Bullet Pest Control treats and removes wasp and hornet nests from Montclair homes, rentals and downtown businesses — carefully, and without anyone climbing a ladder with a spray can.
4.9 stars on Google • NJ License 90568B • 15+ years • Essex County • Hablamos español
Text a photo of the nest to 973-510-2585 — we'll tell you if it's wasps, hornets, yellow jackets or honey bees.
Silver Bullet Pest Control removes wasp and hornet nests in Montclair, including bald-faced hornet nests high in trees and paper wasp nests on the porches and trim of older homes. A licensed technician identifies the insect, treats the nest with protective gear, takes it down where it can be reached and checks the property for others. Same-day visits are often available. NJ License 90568B, 4.9 stars on Google. Call or text 973-510-2585.
Montclair is known for its large, old trees — oaks, maples and tall evergreens over yards, driveways and sidewalks. They're also where bald-faced hornets like to build. A bald-faced hornet is black with white markings on the face and the end of the body, a little bigger than a yellow jacket. The nest is a gray, layered paper ball with one opening near the bottom, and by late summer it can be as big as a basketball.
What makes these nests a problem:
If you find one, keep everyone out from under the tree, hold off on mowing or pruning nearby, and send us a photo. Don't throw things at it or spray it from the ground — that's how people get chased.
Many Montclair homes are large Victorians and colonials with a lot of trim, porches and roofline. These are the three spots we treat most:
Wraparound and front porches give paper wasps exactly what they want: shade, shelter from rain and a warm ceiling. They also build behind shutters, under railings and inside porch light fixtures. Because these nests are right where your family walks in and out, they're the ones that lead to the most stings.
Bald-faced hornets usually build in trees and shrubs, but on tall houses they'll also hang a nest under a deep overhang or a third-floor gable. We treat from a safe position and remove the nest once it's dead and within reach.
Older homes settle, and gaps open up between trim boards, around attic vents and under slate or cedar roof edges. Paper wasps and yellow jackets both use those gaps. A nest inside can be large, and blocking the opening from outside can send them into the house — so we treat first and seal after.
A quick guide to the stinging insects Montclair homeowners run into:
| Paper wasp | Bald-faced hornet | Yellow jacket | Honey bee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Looks like | Slim, long dangling legs, brown with yellow or red marks | Black and white, larger | Short, bright yellow and black | Fuzzy, golden brown |
| Nest | Open comb, cells visible | Closed gray paper ball | Hidden in the ground or walls | Wax comb in a hollow or a swarm cluster |
| Common spot in Montclair | Porches, trim, shutters, eaves | Trees, hedges, high overhangs | Lawns, stone walls, gaps in siding | Tree hollows, wall voids, a cluster on a branch |
| Temper | Mild unless disturbed | Very defensive near the nest | Defensive, worst in late summer | Usually gentle away from the hive |
Honey bees are valuable pollinators and we don't treat a honey bee swarm like a wasp nest. If that's what you have, we'll tell you, and we work with a local beekeeper to relocate them.
Text us a photo and tell us how high the nest is, whether anyone is allergic and if it's near a door. That helps us plan the visit.
We look at the roofline, porches, trees, hedges, garage and yard — there's often more than one nest.
A licensed technician in protective gear treats each nest, including ones high in trees, in wall gaps or in the ground.
Dead nests within reach are taken down. We point out the gaps and spots that keep attracting wasps and can seal them.
Keep kids and pets indoors while we work. We'll tell you when it's safe to use the porch or yard again.
Montclair's older homes have details worth protecting — original trim, decorative porch brackets, slate and cedar roofs, old windows and painted porch ceilings. When we remove a nest from one of these homes we:
If a gap needs carpentry — a rotted trim board or a loose piece of fascia — we'll tell you so your contractor can fix it the right way.
Montclair's walkable downtowns along Church Street and Bloomfield Avenue are full of restaurants and cafés with outdoor seating. In late summer, yellow jackets come looking for sweet drinks, fruit and open trash, and a nest in a planter, a wall or a nearby tree can make a patio hard to use. We work around opening hours and check entrances, awnings, signs, planters and trash areas. See commercial pest control for ongoing service.
Landlords with rentals near Montclair State University, and owners of multi-family houses, can call us for a nest by a shared entrance, porch or back stair. Tenants should report a nest to the owner or manager in writing with a photo. Our landlord and tenant guide covers the general basics.
Look under porch ceilings, railings and eaves while new nests are still tiny and the queen is alone.
Tight lids on trash and recycling keep yellow jackets from feeding near the house in late summer.
Rotting fruit under backyard trees draws yellow jackets and hornets in August and September.
Seal gaps in trim and around vents in winter, when no nests are active.
Quotes are free. Most of the price comes down to a few things:
Call or text 973-510-2585 with a photo and a rough idea of the height.
Send a photo, tell us where the nest is and how high, and whether anyone has been stung. Same-day visits are often available.
🔒 Your info stays private · Hablamos español.
We treat it from a safe position with extension equipment and protective gear, then take it down once it's dead if it can be reached. If it can't be reached safely, a treated nest dies off and isn't reused.
Usually not. A gray paper ball in a tree is most often a bald-faced hornet nest. Honey bees build wax comb inside hollows. Text us a photo to be sure.
They're very defensive near the nest and can sting more than once. Keep people and pets away and don't mow or trim underneath.
Porch ceilings and railings are sheltered and warm, so new queens pick the same spots each spring. Checking in May and sealing gaps helps.
We work carefully around painted and decorative surfaces and tell you before we start if anything needs special care.
We don't recommend it. It angers the colony, rarely gets them all and causes many stings.
Yes. We work around your hours and check planters, awnings, entrances and trash areas for nests.
Same-day visits are often available, especially for a nest by a door or someone allergic. Call or text 973-510-2585.
Yes. Silver Bullet Pest Control holds NJ License 90568B and has over 15 years of experience.
Sí, hablamos español. Mande una foto del nido por texto al 973-510-2585.
We cover Montclair and the towns around it in Essex County and beyond.
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
