- (301) 829-0060
- Mt. Airy, MD
- info@pestshieldinc.com
Pest Shield, Inc. has been serving Frederick County homeowners since 2011, and owner Troy Yowell — licensed under MDA #30263 — personally handles the majority of stinging insect calls across the New Market area. The company holds a 5.0 rating across 338+ reviews on Google and HomeAdvisor, with dozens of those reviews specifically documenting same-day wasp and yellow jacket removal. Pest Shield has been recognized as a Best of Nextdoor winner four consecutive years (2021–2024) and Best of Frederick MD Pest Control (2021), with a team carrying over 75 years of combined pest management experience.
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.
Most wasp calls start the same way: you notice heavy flight activity around one spot on the house, or you get too close to something and find out the hard way. By the time a nest is visible or a sting has happened, the colony is already well established — and late summer is when that colony is at its largest and most defensive.
Late summer and early fall is the most dangerous time to deal with wasp nests on your own. Colonies that started in spring with a handful of workers can reach several hundred to over a thousand individuals by August and September. Workers become more defensive as the season progresses — foraging more aggressively, responding faster to perceived threats, and stinging with less provocation. DIY treatment attempts on established nests, especially concealed ones, carry real risk of multiple stings.
One more thing worth knowing: paper wasps, yellow jackets, and bald-faced hornets are all routinely called “wasps,” and the distinction matters for treatment. Each species nests differently, defends differently, and requires locating the colony before treatment can be effective. Spraying a visible entry point without knowing where the nest is rarely resolves the problem — and can push workers deeper into a wall void or make them more aggressive at the surface.
60+ years of combined experience. Tell us what you’re seeing — we’ll come look, no obligation.
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 →
My wife and I discovered a yellow jackets nest in our siding had moved inside our bedroom wall. Bees were starting to come into the bedroom through the baseboards and window. We called a few large companies first who tried to sell us on an initial price followed by 7 months of service. We’re glad we called Troy at Pest Shield. He gave us a low quote and even stood by it after noticing we had one of the larger nests he had come across this year. Troy was professional going over everything he was going to do while providing us options. We are no longer hearing bees in the wall and the outside activity has dwindled to a bee here or there. Nothing is choosing to go back where Troy sprayed. We really appreciate being bee free again.
djsportbike · August 2023 Read on Google →
I called them about an issue I was having with yellow jackets flying in and out of the siding of my house, Troy came out the very next day and assessed the situation and got the problem fixed, he even checked in a couple days later to make sure the yellow jackets were not coming back. I would highly recommend them for the super quick service they provided and the fact that they check up on their work. Thanks again
Kevork Araklian · September 2025 Read on Google →
General pest & rodent control
When you call Pest Shield about a wasp problem, you reach Troy Yowell or a member of his team directly — not a dispatcher or a call center. Troy assesses the situation over the phone, determines urgency, and schedules accordingly. For active stinging insect situations — especially where family members are allergic or the nest is near a frequently used entry point — same-day service is the standard, not the exception. Multiple New Market-area customers have documented calling in the morning and having Troy on-site within hours.
The service follows a straightforward sequence:
Wasp removal at Pest Shield is a single-visit service. There’s no multi-step treatment cycle, no enrollment in an ongoing plan, and no pressure to add services you don’t need. If the job turns out to be more involved than the phone estimate suggested, Troy has been documented standing by his quoted price anyway. If it’s simpler, he charges less.
The seasonal warranty covers return activity at the treated location. If wasps reestablish at the same site after treatment, Pest Shield comes back at no charge. That commitment is stated upfront — not offered only if you ask.
Treatment products are EPA-approved and applied by a Maryland-licensed applicator (MDA #30263). Eco-friendly treatment options are available, and the methods used are safe for homes with children and pets when applied as directed by a licensed professional.
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.
New Market sits along the I-70 corridor in eastern Frederick County, roughly between the city of Frederick to the west and the Carroll County line to the east. The town’s historic Main Street district is surrounded by a mix of established neighborhoods and newer subdivisions that have grown up along Routes 75 and 144. Pest Shield’s base in Mt. Airy puts the New Market area well within its core Frederick County service zone, with typical response times consistent with same-day scheduling.
New Market’s wooded residential lots and proximity to active construction corridors along I-70 create above-average wasp pressure through summer and into fall. Tree canopy and natural ground cover provide abundant nesting habitat for yellow jackets and paper wasps, while construction activity in surrounding areas can displace ground-nesting colonies toward established residential properties. Frederick County’s warm, humid summers accelerate colony growth — by late August, nests that went unnoticed in June can be hosting hundreds of workers, which is when emergency removal calls peak across the region. For broader seasonal pest pressure beyond stinging insects, pest control in New Market covers the full range of threats that come with the area’s wooded, suburban landscape.
Yes — same-day service for active stinging insect situations is standard at Pest Shield, not a premium add-on. Troy Yowell and his team have been documented arriving within hours of a morning call across the Frederick County area, including on weekends and after normal business hours when the situation warrants it. Call (301) 829-0060 and describe what you’re seeing; Troy will assess urgency on the call and schedule accordingly.
Pest Shield includes a seasonal warranty on wasp removal: if wasps reestablish at the treated location after service, they come back at no charge. Troy states this upfront — it’s not something you have to ask for. Multiple customers have documented Troy’s commitment to returning if the first treatment doesn’t fully resolve the problem, and his standard practice is to follow up by phone or text the day after service to confirm the nest is inactive before considering the job complete.
Yes — locating and treating concealed nests is one of the most documented capabilities in Pest Shield’s review record. Troy has treated yellow jacket colonies inside bedroom walls, powder room exhaust vents, gas fireplace bump-outs, behind second-floor siding, and in chimney areas. The key step is finding where the colony actually is, not just where workers are entering — Troy identifies the nest location before treating, which is why single-visit resolution is the norm rather than the exception.
Pest Shield uses EPA-approved products applied by a Maryland-licensed applicator (MDA #30263), and eco-friendly treatment options are available. Troy has been documented proactively addressing safety concerns for homes with young children, dogs, and immunocompromised family members — he’ll tell you what was applied, where, and what precautions to take around treated areas. The exterior-focused application approach also limits indoor chemical exposure for most wasp removal jobs.
The species distinction matters primarily for locating the nest and understanding defensive behavior. Paper wasps (Polistes spp.) build open, visible nests under eaves and overhangs and are generally less aggressive unless directly disturbed. Yellow jackets (Vespula / Dolichovespula spp.) nest in wall voids, ground burrows, and structural cavities — they’re harder to find and significantly more aggressive, especially in late summer when colonies are largest. Bald-faced hornets (Dolichovespula maculata) build large paper nests in trees, shrubs, and on structures, and defend them aggressively at a distance. All three are routinely called “wasps,” and all require locating the actual colony before treatment is effective — which is why Troy’s first step on every job is finding the nest, not just treating the entry point.
