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Seattle’s temperate, maritime winters have a big impact on the fate of wasp nests. Unlike regions with long, hard freezes, Puget Sound’s mild, wet winters typically do not allow yellowjacket and paper wasp colonies to persist year-round. The usual lifecycle for social wasps means that most colonies die back in autumn: workers and the old…

Few things are as unnerving as spotting the early scaffolding of a wasp nest tucked into the sheltered recesses beneath your eaves. Wasps are attracted to eaves because they offer a dry, protected launch point for foraging adults and easy attachment sites for the papery combs some species build. Different types — paper wasps, yellowjackets…

Are paper wasps dangerous or just annoying? For many people the sight of a delicate, umbrella-shaped nest hanging beneath an eave or tucked into a porch light triggers an immediate mix of curiosity and anxiety. Paper wasps (most commonly species in the genus Polistes) are familiar in temperate backyards because of their distinctive papery nests…

The Pacific Northwest’s famously variable climate—mild maritime winters, cool summers, and sharp contrasts between rainy coastal lowlands and drier inland valleys—shapes much more than the region’s forests and farms. It also has a direct and measurable influence on the lives of social wasps (paper wasps, yellowjackets, and hornets), affecting when colonies get started, how actively…

Accidentally disturbing a wasp nest can turn a routine garden task, outdoor gathering, or home maintenance job into a frightening emergency in seconds. Wasps defend their nest aggressively, and a sudden swarm can deliver multiple painful stings to anyone nearby. Knowing how to respond calmly and quickly is the difference between a minor incident and…

Few outdoor encounters are as jarring as the sudden buzzing swirl of wasps around a backyard picnic. Two of the most commonly confused—and feared—species in North America are the bald-faced hornet and the yellow jacket. Though they belong to the same family (Vespidae) and share many habits, they differ in appearance, nesting habits, colony size,…

Wasps are a familiar—and for many homeowners, unwelcome—part of Seattle’s spring and summer landscape. Knowing when wasps build nests in this region helps residents anticipate problems, identify active nests before they grow large, and decide the best times to take preventive measures or call a professional. Because wasp activity follows a predictable seasonal rhythm tied…

Few things disrupt outdoor life faster than the sudden, angry buzz of wasps. Unlike bees, many wasp species will aggressively defend a nest if disturbed, and nests hidden in eaves, wall cavities, attics, or underground can be hard to spot until someone wanders too close. Finding a hidden wasp nest early — before anyone gets…

Yellow jackets are small, fast-moving social wasps whose nests can be hidden in wall voids, attics, tree cavities, underground burrows and inside dense shrubs. Unlike honey bees, yellow jackets are carnivorous scavengers that become highly defensive when their nest is threatened; they can sting repeatedly and recruit colony mates with alarm pheromones. For these reasons,…

If you live in or visit Seattle, you’ll almost certainly encounter spiders — in gardens, basements, garages and occasionally inside homes. But the question, “Are there any spiders in Seattle you should never kill?” is more than a curiosity; it touches on safety, ecology, and common misconceptions. Most of the spiders you see in the…