Hear from Our Customers
You stop worrying every time someone walks near the eave, the tree line, or the back corner of the garage. That low-grade anxiety — the one that makes you reroute the kids, skip the yard work, or avoid the back deck — goes away. That’s what professional hornet removal actually delivers. Not just a dead nest, but your property back.
In Clio, the housing stock tells the story. Most homes here were built between the 1960s and 1980s, and decades of settling mean gaps in wood fascia, soft spots in soffit caulk, and eave overhangs that bald-faced hornets treat like prime real estate. When a colony gets into a wall void in a home like that, you’re not dealing with a backyard nuisance anymore — you’re dealing with hundreds of workers inside your walls, and that changes what treatment looks like entirely.
The other factor is timing. Genesee County’s warm summers give hornet colonies a long runway. A nest that starts as something small in May can reach 400 to 700 workers by late August — right when families are outside for summer evenings, the grandkids are visiting, and people throughout Clio are spending time in their yards. Getting ahead of it early costs less and puts far less at risk. Waiting until it’s a problem usually means the problem is already bigger than you think.
We founded First Choice Pest Control on May 31, 2005 — which means 2025 marks 20 years of serving Genesee County homeowners, including families throughout Clio and the surrounding Vienna Township communities. This is a family-owned business, not a franchise. Roger, our owner, has 26 years of hands-on pest control experience, and that experience is on the line with every single job.
What that means for you practically: you get the same technician year after year — someone who knows your property, your specific pest pressure points, and how your Clio home is built. No rotating strangers, no part-time seasonal hires. We hold Michigan Pesticide Application Business License #250081, carry IPM training certification recognized by MDARD, and have earned recognition from Angie’s List and HomeAdvisor. We’re also BBB Accredited.
For Clio’s senior homeowners — and with nearly 21% of residents over 65, that’s a significant part of this community — we offer senior discounts, along with discounts for veterans and first responders. If you’ve served or you’re still serving, that’s acknowledged here.
It starts with a call. When you reach out to us, you’re talking to someone who can actually answer your questions — not a scheduling bot or an offshore intake team. You describe what you’re seeing: where the nest is, how long it’s been there, whether you’ve noticed entry points near the roofline or in the siding. That conversation shapes what happens on-site.
When our technician arrives, the first step is a proper inspection. In Clio’s older homes — particularly the ranch-style builds common across Vienna Township — that means checking not just the visible nest but the surrounding structure. Bald-faced hornets often build in elevated locations: high in trees, under eaves, or attached to the upper corners of structures. European hornets, which are active at night and frequently get into wall voids, require a different approach entirely. The technician identifies the species, the nest location, and the infestation level before selecting a treatment method. That’s what IPM-certified practice looks like in real terms — not defaulting to the most aggressive option available, but using the right tool for the actual situation.
Treatment is followed by a full walkthrough of what was done and what to expect. If the job requires a return visit, that’s handled at no additional cost. You’re not left wondering whether it worked.
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Hornet removal with us covers the full scope of the problem — not just a spray at the visible nest and a handshake at the door. Our service includes species identification, targeted nest treatment, and a structural check for secondary entry points or satellite activity. For wall void infestations, which are disproportionately common in Clio’s older housing stock, our technician uses professional-grade dust treatments designed to penetrate the void without requiring you to tear open a wall.
Every service is backed by a return visit guarantee. If activity continues after treatment, we come back — no additional charge, no debate about it. That matters in a community where a lot of homeowners have already tried a hardware store spray and made the situation worse before calling a professional. The goal is resolution, not just a service visit on the books.
We handle the full range of stinging insects common to Genesee County: bald-faced hornets, European hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps. If you’re not sure what you’re dealing with — and many homeowners aren’t — our technician will identify it on-site. Pricing is flat-rate and upfront, and if you’ve already received a reasonable quote from another licensed provider, we’ll match it. No pressure, no surprises.
The most common species you’ll encounter in Clio is the bald-faced hornet. Despite the name, it’s technically a yellow jacket — but it behaves more aggressively than most, builds enclosed paper nests, and will sting repeatedly when the colony feels threatened. Colonies can reach 700 workers at peak late-summer population, and they don’t need much provocation. Lawn mowing near the nest, a pet wandering too close, or vibration from a nearby air conditioner can trigger a defensive response fast.
The European hornet is also present in Genesee County and is the only true hornet species in North America. It’s larger than most stinging insects and notably active at night, which surprises most homeowners who assume hornets are a daytime problem. Both species are capable of causing serious harm, and the CDC reports an average of 62 deaths per year nationally from hornet, wasp, and bee stings. If you have a known allergy in your household, that number matters — and professional removal, not a DIY attempt, is the right call.
Professional hornet removal generally runs between $300 and $700, with bald-faced hornet removal averaging closer to $625 nationally due to the elevated nest locations that species tends to prefer — up in trees, under high eaves, or attached to rooflines. In Clio, where a lot of homes have mature trees and older wood trim that hornets gravitate toward, those elevated locations are common.
The most important cost factor, though, is timing. A small spring nest — golf ball to tennis ball size — is significantly cheaper and safer to remove than a late-summer colony that’s been growing since May. By August, that same nest could house several hundred workers and require more involved treatment, especially if it’s gotten into a wall void or attic space. We use flat-rate, upfront pricing so you know exactly what you’re paying before anyone shows up. And if you’ve already gotten a quote from another licensed provider, we’ll match a reasonable competitor rate.
Most people who call a professional have already tried the DIY route first. A can of wasp spray from the hardware store, a late-night attempt to knock the nest down — it’s a common first move, and it usually makes things worse. Disturbing an active colony without the right protective equipment and treatment approach doesn’t eliminate the nest; it agitates thousands of workers and often drives them deeper into a wall void or structural gap where they’re harder to treat and more likely to cause damage.
Bald-faced hornets in particular are known for aggressive pursuit when the nest is threatened. They can sting multiple times, and they will follow. For older homeowners or anyone with a known allergy in the household, the risk of a DIY attempt isn’t just inconvenient — it’s genuinely dangerous. A licensed technician has the protective gear, the professional-grade treatments, and the species-specific knowledge to handle the job without turning a manageable situation into a medical one. The cost of professional removal is almost always less than the cost of getting it wrong.
Wall void infestations are one of the more serious hornet scenarios, and they’re more common in Clio than many homeowners realize. The 1960s and 1970s-era homes that make up a significant portion of the housing stock here — particularly the ranch-style builds throughout Vienna Township — often have aging wood fascia, gaps around soffit edges, and deteriorating caulk near window frames. Those are exactly the entry points that yellow jackets and European hornets use to establish colonies inside a wall.
The signs are usually buzzing you can hear through the drywall, hornets appearing inside the house near windows or light fixtures, or visible entry and exit traffic near a gap in the exterior siding. Treatment for a wall void infestation uses professional-grade dust applied directly into the void — it penetrates the space without requiring you to open the wall, and it eliminates the colony at the source. Our technicians are trained specifically for this scenario and carry the equipment to handle it on-site. If a return visit is needed, that’s covered.
Hornet queens emerge from hibernation in Michigan in April and May, once temperatures hold consistently in the mid-50s. They start building nests immediately, and those nests are small and easy to miss in the spring. By June and July, worker populations are growing fast and nests become visible — under eaves, in trees, attached to structures. August and September are peak season: maximum colony size, maximum aggression, and maximum risk for anyone spending time outdoors.
In Clio, that late-summer window lines up directly with the time most families are outside the most — summer evenings, yard work, kids and grandkids visiting. That’s not the time you want to discover a 400-worker colony hanging over your back deck. The best time to call is as soon as you notice activity — spring removal is cheaper, safer, and far less disruptive than waiting until August when the colony is fully established and aggressive.
Yes — we offer discounts for seniors, veterans, and first responders. In a community like Clio, where nearly one in five residents is 65 or older and a lot of homeowners have deep roots in military or public service, those discounts reflect something real about who we’re serving. An older homeowner on a fixed income who physically cannot safely get near an active hornet nest — and shouldn’t — deserves a fair price from a company that will actually solve the problem.
The senior discount is worth asking about specifically if you’re a Clio homeowner in that category. Same goes for veterans and anyone currently working in first response. When you call to schedule, just mention it. We also offer price matching for reasonable competitor quotes, so if you’ve already gotten a number from another licensed provider in the area, bring it up. The goal is straightforward: get the nest removed, get the price right, and make sure you’re not left dealing with the same problem two weeks later.
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