Most homeowners find the paper wasp to be a nuisance. It loves to build its nests on eaves, porches, decks, and any other surface of your house that is high and sheltered from rain and wind. People usually think of small parasitic wasps as the only beneficial ones, but these paper wasps are actually great predators. As you can see in the photo above, they love munching on cabbage worms and other caterpillars. They don't actually eat them, they chew them up and feed the green juicy caterpillar slop to their young. I'm always finding their remains, especially on my cabbages and broccoli.
Although these fuckers have stung me once (they don't swarm and usually give you a warning to cease and desist by ramming their heads into you, scary but harmless), they are generally pretty friendly. They won't sting away from their nest. If you do spot them building a nest where there is a lot of foot traffic, make sure to catch it early spring before any of the young mature. The queen will leave in the morning to find food and gather materials. At this point, you can safely knock the nest down. As the season progresses, the colony forms and there are always guards protecting the nest that are ready to sting if they feel threatened. When their wings pop up and spread, they are on high alert, it's their first warning.
These guys took up residence in an empty bird feeder. It's a great way to keep them around without having them on your house :D
Despite being stung once, I love these guys. They are always buzzing around our garden, pollinating and eating pests. They do try to nest on our decks, doors, and eaves, but we're working on solutions. I had to put on a bee suit this last year and knock down about 3 mature nests that were too close to our entryways. This year I'll be sure to catch them sooner and give the queens time to nest in a better location where we each can feel safe and maintain a healthy friendship on mutual grounds.