@yukimori 13 September 2022

I was reminded of the existence of our paper wasp colony last night when I was closing the gate to the backyard and one of the workers buzzed my face. How'd I forget they're there? Good question, especially considering how they've completely outdone themselves with the nest this year. They might look a little scary but it's easy to coexist peacefully with them just by giving them space, and they provide some useful benefits by eating caterpillars and beetle larvae. In just a few weeks most of these wasps will die off, leaving the queen to hibernate for the winter and start a new nest in the spring.