- (301) 829-0060
- Mt. Airy, MD
- info@pestshieldinc.com
Pest Shield, Inc. has handled wasp, yellow jacket, and hornet calls across Frederick County since 2011, with same-day and next-day response confirmed across 108+ reviews. Owner Troy Yowell brings approximately 35 years of pest management experience — including years as a contractor on U.S. military bases overseas — and holds Maryland pesticide applicator certification (MD Cert #19058) under business license MDA #30263. Stinging insect work is the company’s most heavily reviewed service category, with 49 yellow jacket, hornet, and wasp reviews documenting on-site nest removal in walls, soffits, vents, and siding. The team also includes on-staff entomologist Jeffrey Allwine for species identification when field ID isn’t conclusive.
How it works
Four steps. No surprises. Same answer whether it's your first call or your tenth.
You reach Troy or someone on his team directly. No call center, no dispatcher, no routing.
Same-day or next-day for most calls. Emergency stinging-insect situations and real-estate WDI deadlines get priority.
We identify the species, locate entry points, and find the source — not just the symptom.
Written recommendation, straightforward pricing, no obligation. If you don't need treatment, we'll tell you.
A single nest spotted in July becomes a defensive colony of hundreds by September. Wasps don’t relocate on their own, they get more aggressive as the colony matures, and the longer you wait, the higher the chance someone in the household gets stung walking past a doorway or vent they use every day.
Nests in Frederick homes turn up in a predictable set of locations — some obvious, most not:
The first sign isn’t always the nest itself. More often it’s the traffic — wasps consistently entering and exiting one specific gap, vent, or seam in the siding. From July through October in Frederick, colonies hit peak size and peak defensiveness. That’s when single stings turn into multiple stings, and when handling it yourself with a hardware-store spray creates more risk than it resolves, especially with a wall-void or vent nest where the entrance is only part of the structure.
60+ years of combined experience. Tell us what you’re seeing — we’ll come look, no obligation.
I had yellow jackets going under my siding, between the brick and the siding. I called them and received a call back within few hours and Troy treated my house the same day. I also received a follow up text message to confirm that the bees were gone.
tracy marquez · July 2025 Read on Google →
When I first started to look for an exterminator it was a bit stressful, everyone out there wanted to sign us up for a service agreement for no less then a year when all that I wanted was to remove a yellow jackets nest that was built in-between the brick and metal molding on a second floor window, I honestly thought that I, a 71 year old person was going to have to do this myself until I got real lucky and found Pest Shield. Our home was treated by Robert, he was professional and most concerned about making absolutely sure that our home was treated throughly and it was, no more bees and I have received a thirty day guarantee too. Thank you Robert. I highly recommend Pest Shield and give them a FIVE STAR rating!
gee Dee · August 2024 Read on Google →
I called Pest Shield when we needed something done right away. We have a hornets nest and a wasp nest in bad places, three days before having a large gathering. Troy had a busy schedule, but agreed to come after 5:00 that evening. He got here shortly after 5:00, was friendly, thorough and professional, and took care of the nests (and two more we found). He explained everything, showed me what he could, and left excellent and detailed information. I’d hire him again any time we need that sort of service, and would definitely recommend Pest Shield.
Kai Hagen · July 2017 Read on HomeAdvisor →
General pest & rodent control
Wasp removal is a single-visit service. Troy or a Pest Shield technician comes out — typically same-day or next-day for active stinging insect situations — locates the nest, treats it on-site, and stays briefly to handle returning workers that weren’t in the nest at the time of treatment. The next day, you get a follow-up call to confirm there’s no remaining activity. That’s the job.
The process on a typical call:
Yellow jackets (Vespula and Dolichovespula species), paper wasps (Polistes), and bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculata) are all handled with the same approach — the species affects nest location and behavior more than it changes the treatment method. European hornets in chimneys, ground-nesting yellow jackets in lawns, and paper wasp nests under eaves all get the same direct-to-source treatment.
This is a discrete service. One visit resolves it, and it comes with a seasonal warranty — if wasps return to the treated nest location during the same season, we come back at no additional charge. There’s no ongoing plan to sign up for, no monthly fee, no quarterly schedule. Pest Shield’s documented pattern is to recommend services that solve the problem and stop there. One customer described calling around for a single nest removal and being told other companies wouldn’t service them without committing to a year-long agreement — that’s not how this works.
Treatment products are EPA-approved, and the eco-friendly process used for stinging insect work is documented in customer reviews. For homes with kids, pets, or family members with bee sting allergies, Troy walks through what’s applied, where, and what precautions to take around the treated area before leaving the property.
Owner
Founded Pest Shield in 2011 after years as a pest management contractor on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. Around 35 years in pest management. Personally handles or leads the majority of service calls.
Pest Management Specialist
Field technician handling residential and commercial service calls across Frederick, Carroll, and Montgomery counties.
Pest Management Specialist
Field technician handling residential and commercial service calls across the service area.
Our Entomologist
Consulting entomologist on species identification, conducive conditions, and treatment strategy for difficult cases.
Pest Shield serves Frederick and the surrounding Frederick County — Brunswick, Emmitsburg, Middletown, Myersville, New Market, Thurmont, Urbana, Walkersville, and Woodsboro — operating out of nearby Mt. Airy on Lomar Drive. Frederick’s older downtown stock, suburban neighborhoods east toward Urbana, and rural edges running up toward Catoctin Mountain all see steady wasp pressure each summer.
Frederick’s mix of older brick and stone homes, mature wooded lots, and adjacent farmland creates more nesting opportunities than newer suburban builds — more soffit gaps, more siding seams, more sheltered overhangs. Hot, humid summers running through August accelerate colony growth, which is why most wasp calls in Frederick concentrate in the July-through-October window when nests reach full size and workers turn defensive. For broader seasonal pest pressure across the area, pest control in Frederick covers the full range of threats beyond stinging insects.
Same-day or next-day in most cases. Stinging insect work gets priority scheduling — particularly when the nest is near a doorway, a vent the household uses daily, or a member of the family has a sting allergy. Sunday and after-hours service is documented at no extra charge. Call (301) 829-0060 and you’ll talk directly to Troy or office staff, not a dispatcher.
Yes. Wall-void, under-siding, and vent nests are routine for this work. Treatment is applied through the entry point the wasps are already using, so the product reaches the nest itself rather than just deterring activity at the surface. You don’t need to open the wall, and you don’t need to remove siding. Pest Shield’s reviews document on-site removal of nests in bedroom walls, exhaust vents, chimneys, and behind siding seams.
Not for treatment selection — yellow jackets, paper wasps, bald-faced hornets, and European hornets are all handled with direct nest treatment. The species mainly affects where Troy looks for the nest: yellow jackets often nest in the ground or inside wall voids, paper wasps build open-comb nests under eaves and in garages, and bald-faced hornets build the large gray football-shaped nests in trees and on soffits. If field identification isn’t conclusive, on-staff entomologist Jeffrey Allwine can confirm species, though that’s rarely necessary for a removal call.
Yes. Products used are EPA-approved, and the stinging insect treatment process is documented in customer reviews as eco-friendly. Before leaving the property, Troy walks through what’s applied, where, and what brief precautions to take around the treated area — particularly relevant for ground nests near play areas or yards where dogs roam. Pest Shield’s review history includes work in homes with young children, immunocompromised family members, and pets.
Wasp removal is a single-visit service backed by a seasonal warranty — if activity returns to the treated nest location during the same season, Pest Shield comes back at no additional charge. One treatment is the standard outcome; recurring service or ongoing plan enrollment isn’t part of how wasp removal works here. New nests built elsewhere on the property in a future season are separate situations, but the treated location itself is covered.
