I have a live and let live policy for wasps. I was painting the railing on my deck and one was flying around all day. As you said, I would shoo him away and he would come back in a little bit. I am going to check to see if there is a nest under the deck and it will have to go, but generally I leave the wasps alone.

Funny you should ask! I have had a nest on the inside door of a box I use infrequently all summer. I've just let them be and they've never once offered to sting me when opening and closing the door. My hubby thinks I'm nuts haha! There have been as many as 25 or more on the nest at times. I can kill jb's and thrips and grasshoppers NO problem but the wasps really don't bother anything so....

Now my reaction depends on just what the term wasps actually covers. I am terribly allergic to yellow jacket stings and red wasp stings. I keep a can of wasp spray statically located and make wasp nest patrol several times a week. I see a nest going up and I spray it and knock it down. As long as I am diligent to keep their nests knocked down they don't hang around. They can hang out in the yard and its okay as long as they don't become aggressive and come too close. Both what we call yellow jackets and red wasps are aggressive though so if they come near they get a spray. One sting can mean a trip to the ER. I've enjoyed having all the leaf cutter bees around all summer though. It took awhile for me to not run in fear when they first started showing up but now we can cohabit and get along just fine.

Yes, Beth, that would make wasps pretty terrifying!! You can also buy those fake wasp nests and place them in your yard. Yeah, I love leaf-cutter bees.

Aprilscott2 - I agree - the wasps here don't bother anything. In fact, I love to watch them hunt the aphids.

countrygirl - another vote for live and let live. Barring allergies of course.

Carol

Does anyone know how to move this to Discussion forum - where I should have put it in the first place. :)