Hear from Our Customers
You stop planning your day around a corner of your yard you can’t use. You stop watching your kids navigate the back porch like it’s a minefield. That shift — from avoidance to normal — is what professional hornet removal actually delivers. It’s not dramatic. It’s just your property working the way it should.
The Shiawassee River corridor runs right through Corunna, and that riparian environment supports more insect activity than most people realize. More moisture, more vegetation, more prey insects — which means larger hornet colonies and a longer active season than you’d see in drier, more inland communities. A nest near McCurdy Park or along the river-adjacent neighborhoods isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a colony that’s been fed well all summer.
Corunna’s historic housing stock adds another layer. Homes built in the late 1800s and early 1900s — and there are plenty of them throughout the city — have aging wood fascia, uninsulated wall voids, and the kind of structural gaps that hornets actively seek out. Once a colony establishes itself inside a wall, the problem doesn’t go away on its own. It grows. Professional treatment that reaches those cavities without tearing into your walls is the only real solution — and that’s exactly what we provide.
We founded First Choice Pest Control on May 31, 2005 — which means this year marks 20 years of serving homeowners across Genesee and Shiawassee County, including Corunna and the surrounding Caledonia Charter Township area. Roger, our owner, brings 26 years of hands-on pest control experience. That’s not a corporate bio. That’s someone whose name and reputation are attached to every job, including every hornet nest removal we handle.
What makes us different isn’t a tagline. It’s the way we operate. The same technician comes back to your property year after year — they learn your home, your yard, your specific situation. No part-time seasonal hires. No strangers showing up in a van. Every technician is trained, experienced, and accountable. We hold Michigan Pesticide Application Business License #250081 and carry IPM training certification recognized by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
We’ve earned awards from Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor, carry a 4.7-star Google rating across 67 verified reviews, and are BBB Accredited. For a company serving a county-seat community like Corunna — where word travels fast and reputation is everything — that track record matters more than any marketing claim.
It starts with an assessment. Before any treatment begins, our technician identifies the species, locates the nest, and evaluates the situation — whether that’s a visible aerial nest in a tree or shrub, a nest tucked under your eaves, or a colony that’s worked its way into a wall void in one of Corunna’s older homes. That last scenario is more common here than people expect, and it changes how the job gets done.
For exposed nests, treatment is typically direct and fast. For nests inside wall cavities — the kind that older homes along Shiawassee Street or throughout Caledonia Charter Township tend to develop — we use a professional dust application. That method penetrates the cavity and reaches the colony without requiring you to tear into your walls. European hornets, which are active at night, may require treatment after dark when the full colony is inside the nest. Most homeowners don’t know that, and most DIY attempts miss it entirely.
After treatment, you’ll get clear guidance on what to expect over the next 24 to 72 hours as the colony responds. If the nest is in a location where follow-up is needed, we handle it — not ignore it. Timing matters too: spring removal is simpler and less expensive. A colony that’s been building since April and goes untreated into August becomes a much larger, more aggressive problem. The sooner you call, the more straightforward the job.
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When you schedule hornet removal with us, you’re not getting a technician who shows up, sprays the outside of a nest, and calls it done. Our service includes species identification, a full property assessment, targeted treatment matched to the nest type and location, and clear communication throughout. If the nest is accessible, it’s treated and removed. If it’s inside a structural cavity — common in Corunna’s turn-of-the-century homes — we use the right application method to reach it.
Pricing is upfront. You know what you’re paying before anyone touches a thing. We also offer price matching for reasonable competitor quotes, which means you don’t have to choose between getting a fair price and getting the job done right. Discounts are available for seniors, veterans, and first responders — a genuine commitment in a community where those groups make up a meaningful part of the population.
Our service covers residential and commercial properties throughout Corunna and the surrounding Caledonia Charter Township area. If you’ve got a hornet problem at your home near the river corridor, on a historic property downtown, or on a rural parcel outside city limits, our service area covers it. Michigan’s statewide pesticide application licensing requirements apply to every job — we hold License #250081, which is publicly verifiable through MDARD.
The most commonly encountered stinging pest in Michigan — and in Corunna specifically — is the bald-faced hornet. Despite the name, it’s technically a yellowjacket relative, but it builds the large, enclosed paper nests most people picture when they think of hornets. Those nests are often found in trees, shrubs, and on the sides of structures. In Corunna’s older neighborhoods, they frequently appear under eaves, in soffits, and tucked into the architectural details of Victorian-era homes.
The European hornet is also present in Shiawassee County and is worth knowing about because it behaves differently. It’s the only true hornet species in North America, it’s larger than most people expect, and it’s active at night. If you’re hearing buzzing inside a wall after dark or finding large hornets near light sources in the evening, European hornets are a likely culprit. Treatment for this species typically needs to happen after sunset when the colony is fully inside the nest — something we account for, and something most DIY approaches miss entirely.
The honest answer is that it depends on the situation — but most situations people encounter in Corunna lean toward calling a professional. A small, newly established nest in an accessible location in early spring is lower risk. A late-summer colony with hundreds of workers, especially one that’s inside a wall void or elevated out of easy reach, is a different problem entirely.
The CDC reports an average of 62 deaths per year in the U.S. from hornet, wasp, and bee stings — and the majority of serious incidents involve disturbed colonies, not incidental contact. When a nest is sprayed incorrectly, the colony doesn’t always evacuate. Sometimes it retreats deeper into a wall cavity, which makes a future professional treatment harder and more expensive. In Corunna’s older homes, where wall voids are often uninsulated and interconnected, that’s a real risk. A licensed hornet nest exterminator has the protective equipment, the right application methods, and the experience to treat the colony completely — not just disrupt it.
Professional hornet removal generally ranges from $200 to $600 or more depending on the species, nest location, and colony size. Bald-faced hornet removal tends to run higher — often in the $400 to $625 range — because nests are frequently elevated or in hard-to-reach locations. Wall void infestations, which are common in Corunna’s historic housing stock, can add complexity and cost depending on what’s required to treat the cavity effectively.
The most important cost factor most homeowners overlook is timing. A nest found in April or May — when the queen has just started building and the colony is small — is significantly less expensive to treat than the same nest in August, when the colony may have grown to several hundred workers. We provide upfront pricing before any work begins, and price matching is available for reasonable competitor quotes. If you’ve already gotten a quote from another licensed hornet removal company in Shiawassee County, call us before you commit — you may not have to pay more for better service.
Yes — and this is one of the most common follow-up questions after a first treatment. Hornets don’t reuse old nests, but they absolutely return to the same locations. The structural features that made your eave, wall void, or tree line attractive to a colony this year will attract a new queen next spring. In Corunna, where many homes have aging wood soffits, deteriorating fascia boards, and the kind of architectural details that create natural sheltering spots, this is a recurring pattern for homeowners who don’t address the underlying entry points.
After treatment, it’s worth having a conversation about what made that location appealing in the first place. Sealing gaps in soffits, repairing rotted fascia, and closing off structural entry points can significantly reduce the likelihood of a repeat infestation. Our technicians can identify those vulnerabilities during the service visit. The goal isn’t just to solve this season’s problem — it’s to make your home a less attractive target going forward.
For most exterior nest treatments, you don’t need to vacate the property — but you should stay clear of the treatment area during and immediately after the application. Our technician will let you know what’s being used, where, and how long to allow before normal activity resumes near that area. For treatments involving dust applications in wall voids, the same general guidance applies: the product stays contained within the cavity, and there’s no need to leave the house.
If you have young children, pets, or family members with respiratory sensitivities, mention that when you schedule. We use IPM-certified methods — meaning treatment is targeted and proportionate, not a blanket chemical application across your entire property. That matters for families in Corunna, where a lot of households include young kids and pets sharing outdoor spaces. You’ll get a clear explanation of what was applied, where, and what to watch for in the 24 to 72 hours following treatment. No guessing, no vague instructions.
Yes — discounts are available for seniors, veterans, and first responders on hornet removal and all pest control services. When you call to schedule, just mention which discount applies to you and it’ll be factored into your quote.
In a community like Corunna, where nearly 14% of seniors live below the poverty line and the area has a strong tradition of military and public service, this isn’t a promotional add-on. It’s a straightforward acknowledgment that the people who’ve contributed the most to this community deserve a fair deal on necessary home services. Pest control isn’t optional when you’ve got a hornet colony in your wall or under your eaves — and the cost shouldn’t be a barrier for the people least able to absorb an unexpected expense. If you’re a senior homeowner in Corunna or a veteran living anywhere in Shiawassee County, call us directly and ask what’s available for your situation.
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