While preparing an area in the yard for a new garden, I came upon a large paper wasp nest. Not wanting to kill the wasps, since they are beneficial, I chose to attempt removal of the nest. Early this morning, before the light fully filled the sky, my husband and I went out with clippers and a plastic bag. We were fully covered so that no wasps could get into our clothing and we wore nets on our heads. The nest was very still when we got out there. I gently clipped the grasses and twigs that were attached to the nest on the underside. A few wasps wandered out but did not fly towards us. Then, we carefully opened the plastic bag and placed the entire nest inside, closing the bag carefully. We walked calmly through the woods and found a new location to put the nest. I carefully opened the bag, tipping it upside down, trying not to jostle it much. I'm happy to report that the nest was successfully relocated and nobody got stung. They will undoubtedly need to abandon that nest and build a new one, but at least it will not be in my garden spot!
