Wasp or bee's nest W/tiny "Wasps" on my house

[Tony H]

Over the last few weeks I have watched with great interest as this nest has grown many times it's size. The "bees" are tiny and dark and totally non-aggressive-even shy. Not sure what to do if anything as wasps (or bees) are beneficial so I don't want to disturb them. I sent some pics to the state but I doubt they will tell me what to do (or not to do). The nest only has a one season lifespan and my wife want's me to remove and keep it when it's done. I cant wait to see how big it gets.
There were a few small nests on the house when we bought it but nothing like this.

[Idle]

This must be some type of wasps. Bees usually look for a way into something before they will build a hive.

If you find a dead one on the ground post a photo. If a bee dies in the hive the other bees will drag it to the door and toss it out.

[Tony H]

Yea they are wasps says the state. They move so quickly I can't get a good look at them. They said as long as they are not a bother just leave them alone. They are tiny like a house fly.

[t walgamuth]

Termites swarm.

[Tony H]

I did find a dead one under the nest. It kind of looks like a yellow jacket but smaller. I guess if they don't cause an issue they can stay. Nest is still getting larger. I guess since they don't make honey the nest is a one season deal. There were a few "starter" nests around when we bought the house. I wonder if the PO bug bombed them before they got big. They were in the same area. Been here 5 years and this is the first one.

[Tony H]

The thing is twice as big now. Still no nuisance. When it maxes out I will take a picture. I would love to cut it in half to see what's inside when they are gone.

[Diesel911]

In the areas in my house where they have showed up but, in my case, different wasps they return to the same place next year. I remove the nests in the years they are gone, and it decrease the chances of them coming back.

As you know for someone who is allergic a single sting can become life threatening. Especially if you are like myself and since I have never been stung by a wasp have no idea if I am allergic or not. Obviously, I carry no Epi-pen for such an occasion.

I have frequently had bigger wasps fly around me, but I just stand still (unless they get near my face) and the lose interest and leave.

[vwnate1]

You're a good man Sir .

I hate wasps etc. and aggressively kill them as they'll make multiple nests all over my back yard and Motos etc. .

[Tony H]

These are small and not aggressive at all. The nest is at least twice as large now. I think it's maxed out.

[davidmash]

I put a bee house in my back yard a while back. Followed the directions and never had any lock. This year I looked and I found wasps making a home of it. They do not seem to be bugging anyone so I will let them be.

As for the nest in the pic above, that is a weird looking nest. At first glance it looks like a wadded up rag. Very cool looking.

[Tony H]

Tomorrow I will get fresh picture. Someone on CL will come get it for free for medical uses but I would rather let them stay.
https://eugene.craigslist.org/wan/d/eugene-wanted-hornets-and-yellow-jackets/7629199991.html

[Tony H]

Here's the final evolution of the nest. Time to get the scraper!

[cmac2012]

I wonder what that substance is? Hard to imagine that it would all be wasp spit.

[vwnate1]

IIRC it's paper pulp, they chew up wood and mix it with their spit....

I hope all the wasps are gone before you start scraping......

So far this Summer the usual influx of yellow jackets hasn't arrived, I hate those pesky, nasty and aggressive little bastards .

[cmac2012]

Interesting, that makes sense. It looks like they’re on homemade concrete of a sort.

I’m no fan of yellow jackets. The only time I’ve been lit up by singing and sex, was when I took a shortcut down the hill and I must’ve stepped on a nest, a lot of them are in the ground I understand. At first, I thought maybe that staying on my arm with some poison oak, but then I quickly saw one and then two and more yellow jackets coming at me. I had to finish, shutting down the hill, hanging on the trees while they were stinging me. Didn’t need to break my ankle in the process. Then I walked rapidly for maybe 100 yards swatting them for all I was worth. I have no allergies to that stuff but my head and my neck burned and ached for hours. It will get your attention.

But my main point, I just now discovered that they also are pollinators. Here’s what I found:

While yellowjackets do not have the pollen sacks that make honey bees such efficient pollinators, yellowjackets can do incidental pollination when they travel among flowering plants. They also eat many pest insects including aphids, crickets, caterpillars, spiders and grubs. For these reasons, yellowjackets can be considered beneficial insects.

Some of my clients have me put out yellow jacket traps, those yellow and green plastic things that yellow jackets get into real easy but can’t figure out how to get out of. Those are yellow jacket killing machines. I don’t feel good about that anymore, I wasn’t sure if they were pollinators before. Would have been easy to find out.