Bill Ruhl Jr. started as a hobby beekeeper with his father in 1962. His father bought a beekeeping supply business in 1970 & when Bill got out of the army he helped manage the family business. The business was doing very well; however, they were always getting calls from people who needed bees exterminated from their homes.In 1974 Bill got his pest control license & started helping those he could. By 1975 he was so busy doing exterminating that he stopped working at Ruhl Bee Supply & started Bee Control NW. Now, after 40 years of working with bees, Bill is still the only one that specializes in just bees & wasps in the Portland metro area. He enjoys the exterminating end of the business & is joined by his wife, Jane, & son, Kelly, in the office.
Highlights and features
- Bees, Hornets, Wasps, Yellowjackets
Services
Bumble Bees
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There are several species of bumblebees & they don't all look exactly the same. Some are small, some are large, & some also have orange coloring on them. Bumblebees are similar to honeybees in that they pollinate & collect nectar, but they do not make honey. Solitary Bees
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As the name says, they are solitary; they don't live in large colonies like other bees. They live in pairs, male and female. They use small holes, sometimes in the ground or wall of your house, to lay their eggs in. Each pair will have their own hole, however, they are often found in close proximity to each other. It's not uncommon to have dozens of holes being used in one area. Some ground holes will have mounds of dirt around them & others will not. Yellow Jackets and Hornets
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There are about twelve different species of yellow jackets in the Portland Metro area. Some are called hornets. They are a type of aerial nesting yellow jacket. Its nest visibly hangs in the air on a bush, tree, under the eaves of your house, or someplace similar. Their colors may vary. The bald-faced hornet is black & white, as opposed to black & yellow. Wood Wasps
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The wood wasp bores a hole into a live tree to lay its eggs. The next spring those eggs hatch. Sometimes man comes along & cuts down the tree in the mean time. If the eggs are not destroyed in the drying & milling process your house can be made of this wood. 
Reviews (10) Kelsey Timberlake
May 09, 2022
I can't tell you how impressed I am with Kelly and Bee Control Northwest. I placed a call to Kelly on a late Friday afternoon, after contractors opened up our ceilings to find bees in our attic insulation, and he called me back within 15 minutes, and had his colleague Rob out the next day. Their response, attention to detail, care, and knowledge are unmatched, and we are so appreciative of them. They did treat bees accessing our attic through (2) vents and didn't delay our contractors. Couldn't believe it, thank you, again!
Bev Wylie
Apr 07, 2022
The Kelly and Rob at Bee Control Northwest did a good job educating me about wasps and hornets and the various options for extermination. I agree with other 5-star reviews that say this company puts the customer first and isn't out to make a "fast buck." We've had a problem with hornets, and Rob was honest and ethical with us after inspecting our home.
It turned out that the most practical way to deal with our problem was the least expensive option and affordable for us. Thank you Bee Control Northwest for your excellent service.
It turned out that the most practical way to deal with our problem was the least expensive option and affordable for us. Thank you Bee Control Northwest for your excellent service.
Stuart Bell
Aug 21, 2021
A yellowjacket nest appeared pretty much overnight between my porch and garage and began swarming around things in my driveway. These guys asked a bunch of questions to make sure I wasn't wasting my time having them come out, threw in a quick lesson on how yellowjackets operate, quoted me a fair price, then came out the next day and dealt with it in 20 minutes in a very low impact way. No more yellowjackets - and guaranteed for a year. 5 stars.
Elizabeth Leonardo
Jul 29, 2021
I hired this company three times now over the past few years for different locations, the communication is always great, fair price, and very reliable. They warranty they work for a year which is a plus since many others only offer three months, also the fact that they don't try to sell you unnecessary, expensive, preventive treatment and won't be bothering you with phone calls and emails trying to make you sign up for it is refreshing. I definitely recommend.
Monika Sammon
Apr 24, 2021
Wow! I am so happy I reached out to this company! It is so nice to talk to people that not only are extremely knowledgeable and caring about their work, but caring about what is best for the people reaching out to them for help. Bill spent a long time with me on the phone (on a Friday evening after normal business hours no less) explaining to me what was going on with my wasp situation and discussing what my options were. Based on his advice, I decided to hold off on extermination.
It is truly so refreshing to find a business that is not just looking to make a quick buck by taking someone's money who is less knowledgeable about the situation. If this does become an issue later on, I will definitely seek out their services. Big thanks to Bill and his wife for helping me out!
It is truly so refreshing to find a business that is not just looking to make a quick buck by taking someone's money who is less knowledgeable about the situation. If this does become an issue later on, I will definitely seek out their services. Big thanks to Bill and his wife for helping me out!
Joan Cummings
Mar 26, 2021
Came within two hours of call and eliminated a new yellow jacket nest that was at the corner of our front walkway and public sidewalk but only after confirming that's what the nest was. They're committed to preserving beneficial pollinators. Easy to work with and educational. Highly recommend Bee Contol Service: Hornet & wasp extermination
B. E. S.
Dec 31, 2020
I have some bees buzzing near my front door. Kelly called me back right away and had a lot of info and expertise. He told me they were probably solitary bees, not the start of a big hive, and said they should be harmless, but that he'd be happy to come out if the problem gets worse. One thing to note - I believe the website says that estimates are free but Kelly told me there would be a cost to come out and look.
And if I decide to exterminate them, then that cost would go towards the price of the extermination. That seems fair, just want to note it's different than I saw on the website for anyone wondering.
And if I decide to exterminate them, then that cost would go towards the price of the extermination. That seems fair, just want to note it's different than I saw on the website for anyone wondering.
Nancy Stites
May 30, 2020
Bill was at my house about 2.5 hours after I called (on a Saturday) about a yellow jacket nest in the ground. He completed his work very fast and gave me a lot of information about yellow jackets. I just went out and checked the nest (about 3 hours after he left) and there are zero yellow jackets flying in and out. Thanks for the great service!
Sarah Taylor
Feb 17, 2020
Bill came by tonight and helped us take care of some bee and wasp situations. He was extremely knowledgeable, kind and professional. He took the time to educate us and made great recommendations. Hopefully we won't need help with bees or wasps anymore but if we do we'll definitely give Bee Control Northwest a call.
John Wyckoff
Jan 04, 2018
Bee Control Northwest saved my life! Bill discovered a bald face hornets nest in a tree branch just inches from where my head traverses on my garden path. I was stung once. But future attacks would have been deadly. I have used Bee Control Northwest many times for in ground yellow jackets nests; first time for a hornets nest in a tree. Very knowledgeable and informative service.
