Yellow jacket nests are large at the end of the season.

This grey yellowjacket nest on the side of a home is located at the base of the window shutter. Yellowjackets made paper to construct the nests by collecting wood in their jaws from siding, trees or fences and using water to build layers on the nest. Working together they build the protective shell. Inside are layers of honeycomb larval chambers to use as a nursery. As the year progresses and the nest grows the protective range will increase for yellowjackets. In eastern Massachusetts these nests are built annually. They are not reused each year.