Found a wasp or hornet nest in Hiroshima: who to call and what removal costs

This page contains advertising (PR). The link to Hachi 110ban is an affiliate link, and we may earn a commission. Hachi 110ban’s page and form are in Japanese only (see section 5).

This page is general information from official sources. It is not medical or legal advice. If you are stung and feel unwell, call 119. For your own case, ask your city office or a doctor.

If you find a wasp or hornet nest under your eaves, in a garden tree or near your air-conditioner unit, you need to know who to call. This page covers Hiroshima City, Fukuyama City and Kure City. It explains when to leave a nest alone, what the city offices do, what to do if you rent, what a private company costs, and what to do if someone is stung.

In short

Hiroshima City and Fukuyama City do not remove nests on private land. Kure City tells residents to use a paid professional company for hornets (section 3).
Hiroshima City says the owner or manager of the place where the nest is responsible for dealing with it (section 3).
If you rent, contact your property manager or landlord before you call a company (section 4).
Hiroshima City lends a protective suit for free from its public health center, but only by phone reservation (section 2).
Hachi 110ban lists removal from ¥12,100 (bees and paper wasps) or ¥16,500 (hornets), tax and travel fee included. These are minimum prices, and its page and form are in Japanese only (section 5).
If someone is stung and has trouble breathing, call 119. If you are not sure, call #7119 (section 7).

Checked with official pages on October 6, 2026.

PR · Ad / affiliate link. The button goes to Hachi 110ban’s request page. The page and form are in Japanese only (see section 5).

Ask Hachi 110ban about nest removal (Ad, Japanese only)

Option	What happens	Cost	Fits when
Do it yourself	Only for a small nest	Spray, equipment	Smaller than a fist
City office	Advice only; no removal	Free	You want to know what it is
Property manager	Handles the building (rentals)	Depends on your contract	You rent
Private company	Survey, quote, removal	Paid	Large nest or hornets

1. Should I remove the nest, or leave it?

Hiroshima City

Wasps and bees can also be useful: they carry pollen and eat pest insects such as caterpillars. Hiroshima City asks residents to leave a nest alone if it is not dangerous. The city says the point to consider removal is when you must pass through the dangerous range around the nest in daily life. The range depends on the type of wasp and the place of the nest.

Type	Garden tree, eaves, attic	Near a sidewalk or park
Giant hornet (オオスズメバチ)	6 m (nest in the ground)	8 m
Hornet (スズメバチ)	4 m	12 m
Paper wasp (アシナガバチ)	1 m	2 m
Honeybee (ミツバチ)	1 m	2 m

Distances are measured from the entrance of the nest. For an attic, that means the vent or wall where the wasps go in and out. Where many people come close, wasps get excited more easily and the range gets wider. Nests in an attic are mostly hornets, and rarely honeybees. A honeybee nest is low risk for stings, but honey can leak and rot the ceiling, so the city suggests considering removal.

If you can live outside the range, you can also wait and reduce the risk of being stung. The city lists four things: do not shout, avoid strong smells such as fabric softener or perfume, avoid dark clothes, and do not move suddenly.

2. Can I remove a small nest myself?

Hiroshima City

Hiroshima City lends a protective suit for wasp work to residents for free from its public health center. It is for use in principle inside Hiroshima City. The suit may not be available if it is already lent out or reserved, so call the Environmental Health Division (環境衛生課) first at 082-241-7408. You fill in an equipment loan form (物品貸出申込書) when you borrow it. The city does not guarantee that stings cannot get through the suit, and it takes no responsibility if you are stung or hurt while using it.

The city’s steps are as follows.

Work at night or early in the morning. Wasps are slower then. If you work in daytime, wasps that are outside keep returning and get excited.
Wear the protective suit. At night, do not use a flashlight, or cover the bulb with red cellophane and light the nest only now and then.
Stand at least 3 meters from the nest, upwind. Spray wasp insecticide downwind and check that no one is in the spray path.
Collect the fallen wasps with a broom, chopsticks or tongs. Do not touch them with bare hands, because they can sting by reflex even when dead.
Put the wasps and the removed nest in a plastic bag and tie it.

The city lists what to prepare: the protective suit, wasp-only insecticide, garbage bags, a pole or insect net to take the nest down, a flashlight, and a broom and dustpan. If the nest is bigger than a fist, there are many wasps, or the nest is in a hard place such as an attic, the city says not to push yourself and to ask a company.

3. What does my city office do?

The city offices answer questions and give advice. None of the three cities below says it removes nests on private land. They give different directions.

City	Removes nests?	Where to ask	Also
Hiroshima City	No	082-241-7408	Does not introduce companies
Fukuyama City	No	084-928-1164	Ask a private company
Kure City	Not stated	0823-25-3538	Hornets: paid professional

3.1 Hiroshima City

Hiroshima City

Hiroshima City does not remove wasps or their nests, and it says the owner or manager of the place where the nest is built should deal with it. The city does not introduce a specific company either. It suggests looking in the phone book under “disinfection” (消毒業) or “wasp removal” (ハチの駆除), or searching online, and getting quotes from two or three companies. For questions about wasps, call the Environmental Health Division of the public health center (保健所環境衛生課) at 082-241-7408.

3.2 Fukuyama City

Fukuyama City

Fukuyama City says its public health center does not remove sanitary pests such as wasps and rats, and asks you to consult a private pest control company. For questions, call the General Affairs Division of the public health center (保健所総務課) at 084-928-1164.

3.3 Kure City

Kure City

Kure City lists wasps among the pests it gets most questions about, and gives advice by type. Removing hornets yourself is very dangerous, so ask a professional company (paid). Paper wasps and honeybees can be removed by non-professionals if you protect yourself completely, but the city says it is better to ask a professional company if you can. For questions, call the Living Hygiene Division (生活衛生課) at 0823-25-3538.

4. What if I rent?

Official advice (Japan)

If you rent, call the company that manages the building, or your landlord, before you look for a removal company. This applies to nests on a balcony or in a shared planting area. Hiroshima City’s position is that the owner or manager of the place deals with the nest. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan also lists asking the manager or landlord first as one option for rental homes.

5. How much does Hachi 110ban cost, and can I use it in English?

Depends on the provider

Hachi 110ban is a contact service run by Sharing Technology Inc.. It passes your request to member companies, which do the survey and removal. Its page, request form and terms of use are written in Japanese, and the page does not say whether staff speak English. If you cannot read Japanese, ask a Japanese-speaking friend or coworker to help you, or use a translation app on the form.

Type	Removal price	Note
Honeybee (ミツバチ)	From ¥12,100	Tax and travel fee included
Paper wasp (アシナガバチ)	From ¥12,100	Tax and travel fee included
Hornet (スズメバチ)	From ¥16,500	Tax and travel fee included

These are starting prices. Hachi 110ban says extra fees may apply if the nest is hard to find, hard to reach or high up, and that some areas and member companies cannot offer the listed price. The final price is set by the quote after the company sees your home. You can choose Hiroshima Prefecture on the form, but whether a company will come to your address depends on the member company, so give your address when you ask. Payment is by credit card or cash, and fees may apply or cards may not work in some areas.

Send your request. Use the form or call. Hachi 110ban says it takes requests 24 hours a day, every day.
A member company comes to check. It looks at the damage and the type of wasp. Hachi 110ban says the survey and quote are free, with no travel fee at this stage, but notes that a fee may apply depending on the area, company or site, so ask first.
Get a quote. Hachi 110ban says it does not add charges to the quoted price, and that you can cancel at this point without a fee.
Removal. The company removes the nest.
Pay after the work. Some member companies ask for payment before the work.

The terms of use say Hachi 110ban itself is free to use. Your contract is directly with the member company, so you cancel or end it by contacting that company. Hachi 110ban is one of several ways to find a company. Hiroshima City says you can also search yourself and compare quotes.

6. How do I avoid a high bill?

Official advice (Japan)

Important

Before the work, ask for the total price, the name of the company that will actually do the work, whether you pay if you cancel, and whether the price can go up later. Hiroshima City suggests describing the position of the nest to two or three companies and comparing their quotes.

The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan says it gets a growing number of consultations about pest and animal control. One case it describes is a person who asked for wasp removal after being told they might die from a sting, and then wanted to cancel because the bill was high. The center says the work and the price depend on the size and structure of the home and on the nests, so an advertised “from ¥X” price does not mean the work will cost that much.

It says to compare several quotes, not to sign with a company that stirs up your fear or does not give you time to think, and not to pay on the spot if you do not agree. If the final bill is very different from what you were told, the cooling-off rule for door-to-door sales may apply. If you are in trouble, call the consumer hotline 188.

PR · Ad / affiliate link. Hachi 110ban is one of several ways to find a company. Its page and form are in Japanese only.

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7. What if someone is stung?

Hiroshima City / Kure City

If the person is stung in many places or feels unwell, get medical treatment. Hiroshima City says to call 119 without hesitation if the person has sudden shortness of breath, trouble breathing, or seems different from usual.

Kure City gives these steps for a sting:

Wash the stung area well with water.
Cool it with ice or similar.
Apply an antihistamine ointment.

7.1 Not sure whether to call an ambulance?

Hiroshima City

Call the emergency medical advice line #7119 (救急相談センター広島広域都市圏・備後圏域). Nurses answer 24 hours a day, every day. They advise whether to call an ambulance or go to a hospital yourself, and they tell you which medical facility to go to. If you cannot get through, call 082-246-2000. The advice is free, but you pay the phone charge. The pages we used do not say which languages the nurses speak, so it may be Japanese only.

The line covers Hiroshima City, Kure City and Fukuyama City, and since April 2026 a total of 17 cities and 9 towns. These include Kasaoka City and Ibara City in Okayama Prefecture, and Iwakuni City and Waki Town in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

If a child is stung at night and you are worried, the prefecture’s children’s emergency line #8000 is also available. It takes calls from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays, and from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekends, holidays and December 29 to January 3. For night and holiday pediatric clinics, see Child Sick at Night in Hiroshima: #8000, #7119 and Night Pediatric Clinics.

Common questions

A cluster of bees is hanging on a tree branch. Is it a nest?

Hiroshima City says this is usually “swarming” (分蜂, bunpo), seen from spring to summer. The queen has left with worker bees to look for a new nest and they are resting on the way. Bees on the move are gentle and not dangerous if you do not disturb them, so leave them alone. They normally leave within a few hours to a few days. The city suggests clearing away empty boxes nearby, because bees may build a nest in one.

I removed the nest, but wasps are still flying around.

Hiroshima City says that worker wasps that were not removed fly around the old place for a while and then disappear. The place may also be on the flight path of wasps from another nest. In that case a wasp trap can reduce the number, but traps can also attract wasps, so be careful where you put one.

A big, round, black bee is flying around. Is it a hornet?

Hiroshima City says carpenter bees (クマバチ) do not build nests as a group. The city’s page has photo materials to tell hornets, paper wasps and honeybees apart.

It helps to be able to tell a company the size of the nest, the type of wasp and where the nest is (eaves, garden tree, attic and so on).

Next steps

Find out who owns or manages the place where the nest is, and ask your manager or landlord first if you rent (section 4).
Check the distance to the nest against the table (section 1). If it is far from where you walk, you may be able to leave it alone.
If you want it removed, get quotes and check the total price before you agree (section 6).

Sources (checked October 2026)

7 pages we checked

1. Should I remove the nest, or leave it?

2. Can I remove a small nest myself?

3. What does my city office do?

3.1 Hiroshima City

3.2 Fukuyama City

3.3 Kure City

4. What if I rent?

5. How much does Hachi 110ban cost, and can I use it in English?

6. How do I avoid a high bill?

7. What if someone is stung?

7.1 Not sure whether to call an ambulance?

Common questions

Sources (checked October 2026)

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