Wasps & Hornets Control

The paper wasp most Inland Northwest homeowners meet is the European paper wasp, Polistes dominula, an introduced species that WSU's extension fact sheet describes as well established across the Pacific Northwest. It builds the classic open-comb umbrella nest, a single layer of papery cells hanging from eaves, deck rails, play structures, and grill covers, starting in spring from a lone overwintered queen and growing to a few dozen workers by late summer. These wasps are yellow-and-black, slender, with long legs dangling in flight, and they are beneficial predators that hunt caterpillars in gardens all season. They are also the wasp most likely to sting a homeowner, because their nests hang exactly where hands and heads go: under eaves, around door frames, and inside sheds. Unlike yellowjackets they are not aggressive away from the nest, so a wasp working your flower beds can be left alone, but a nest over the back door cannot.