05/27/2026
The wasp building a small open nest under your eave isn't the one that stings at picnics. That's a different species entirely.
Paper wasps build small, visible nests with open hexagonal cells — usually a dozen adults, not aggressive away from the nest, and they hunt garden caterpillars to feed their young.
Yellowjackets build hidden nests underground or inside walls. Colonies reach thousands by late summer. They're the ones at the soda can, the hamburger, the trash can. They sting repeatedly.
The quick read: open nest under the eave with visible cells = paper wasp, leave it. Wasp at your plate interested in your food = yellowjacket, different animal entirely.
The nest most people spray is the species that rarely stings and eats garden pests. The species that actually causes problems nests where you can't see it.
