On a Tuesday afternoon in Spofford, N.H., Forest Bell zipped up his bee suit to take down another yellow jacket nest.
At just 11, Forest showed no fear as he stood atop a step stool, holding a Shop-Vac nozzle to the mouth of the nest, ready to suck out the insects. The nest was at the back of his grandfather’s house.
His focus during the job, and his vast knowledge of wasps, bees and their intricate nests, might make it shocking that he’s been removing nests on people’s property for less than two months.
Forest, of Westmoreland, N.H., has brought his free wasp-removal service to eight customers so far across multiple Monadnock Region towns, including a church, school and the Keene Bike Park. Whether the nest is in the ground, in a wall or hanging down, Forest is practically an expert at ridding the wasps and making sure a nest can’t form in the same location.
Forest said he’s been interested in insects for as long as he can remember, including bees and wasps. But he was inspired to start the service after watching YouTube videos of others removing nests. In particular, he said watching how the Shop-Vac was used piqued his interest in trying it himself.
To remove a nest, Forest first fills the vacuum tank with water and dish soap to kill the wasps. Next, he beats around the nest, warning the wasps of what’s to come and encouraging them to fly out. He then uses the Shop-Vac to suck the wasps out of the nest before taking it down and breaking it apart, exposing the stacked layers of hexagonal comb.
Opening the nest also lets him remove the queen, which he said makes it difficult for escaped wasps to regroup in the same place.
When Forest decided he wanted to start a business — although he insists on working for free despite the occasional tip — his mom, Kristen Bell, helped him make flyers that they plastered around the Westmoreland General Store. Within an hour, Forest got his first call, his mom said.
Vincenzo Scotto Di Uccio, of Westmoreland, placed that call after discovering two wasp nests in his shed earlier in the week. He said he planned to call an exterminator, but when he saw the flyers at the general store for a free service, he gave it a shot. He said he was not expecting 11-year-old Forest to show up at his door.
Scotto Di Uccio wound up a repeat customer.
“He was definitely very knowledgeable about the types of wasps that are in the area — which ones I had, what I could expect,” Scotto Di Uccio said. “He told me that there may be some stragglers that may resettle somewhere else, which is exactly what happened.”
Forest recalled being nervous for that first job, afraid he might get stung. Now several jobs in, he wears the stings on his arms like badges and accepts them as part of the gig. Kristen, who joins him on all his assignments, said she’s in awe of his bravery. She said her own fear around wasps has lessened just from watching him.
“It’s like a burning pain,” Forest said, describing a sting. “It’s not quick; it stays for a while.”
The biggest nest Forest removed was about 9 inches long and nestled in the outer wall of Westmoreland Elementary School. Principal Mark Hayward said Forest had to break through the wall to find it.
“When he pulled it out it looked like a big stack of pancakes,” Hayward said about the layers of comb built up in the nest.
Hayward said he was impressed with Forest’s professionalism, patience and methodical approach to removing the nest.
Mark Daigle, of Swanzey, N.H., said he had two yellow jacket nests underground on his property when he came across a Facebook post from the Keene Bike Park about Forest’s service. He said he tried to take care of the nests himself, but found he only aggravated the yellow jackets. He admitted he would not have had Forest’s bravery and confidence to remove the nests on his own.
“He didn’t seem afraid or anything,” Daigle said. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders and knows what he wants to do, and I think he’s going to be very successful.”
Forest couldn’t tell you exactly why he likes removing wasp nests, but he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon and is even looking toward a new horizon — starting an apiary to keep bees.
“Don’t all kids like insects?” he said.
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