03/13/2026
So the yellow wasps aren’t typically aggressive, the red wasps aren’t friendly, but both species keep the real punks away - the yellow jackets. Do with this what you will!
https://www.facebook.com/share/18Do3SERyT/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Every paper wasp colony from last year is dead. Not dormant. Dead. The workers, the males, the old queen — all killed by the first hard freeze. The only survivors were the new queens. They hibernated inside your attic insulation, behind your shutters, in the gap where your siding meets the soffit. They've been frozen in place since November.
This week, the south-facing walls of your house warmed above fifty degrees for the first time. The queens are thawing. One at a time. Crawling out groggy and slow. Each one alone. Looking for a dry sheltered surface to start building.
Right now she's building a paper disc the size of a quarter. By herself. No help. In three weeks it has a handful of cells with eggs inside. In six weeks the first workers emerge and start helping. By midsummer the nest has dozens of workers and aggressive defense is fully active.
The difference between a free five-minute fix and a problem that costs real money is about two to three weeks.
🌿 Where to check this weekend:
- Under every eave, porch ceiling, and deck railing
- Inside open garages, sheds, and carports
- Behind shutters and under windowsills
- On outdoor light fixtures and above doorframes
- Look for a single slow wasp or a papery disc smaller than a quarter — that's the starter nest
🌿 What to do if you find one:
- Wait until evening when she's dormant at dusk
- Knock the starter nest down with a stick or broom. That's the entire job
- She'll relocate — usually not back to the same surface once it's been disturbed
- No chemicals needed. No protective gear. No cost
- Check the same spots again in a week — a second queen may try the same location
- The window for easy removal closes in two to three weeks. Once workers emerge, the dynamic changes completely
One queen. One broom. One evening. That's the whole project 🌿
