The nest in the upper right corner of this window is something I've been watching grow for the past few months. The day I noticed it, there were already two honeycomb shaped attachments, and just 2 hornets building it. The storm window had come loose just a tiny portion at a slight slant, and that is how they gained entrance between the storm window and house window. I watched them for about half an hour or so, thinking the whole time "I'll have to spray that down later on tonight before bed." However, the next morning came, and I'd forgotten... so, with a cup of morning coffee, I watched them some more.

Normally, anytime a bunch of hornets or yellowjackets start building one of these nests on the house, I get concerned about the kids getting bitten, along with Kenny and I getting stung, too... with this one, though, they picked out such a great spot right in between the storm window and house window, very high up, on a side of the house that is pretty remote. It helped that they were in good view of the webcam, as the computer I'm on is right in front of this particular window. My only concern has been that once summer is over and it starts to get cold, they may try to burrow into the warm house... but, well, I'll see what happens. I already checked the window panes to make sure there's no weak wood areas leading into the house.

So these yellowjackets/hornets have got quite a cool home, there's at least 40 or 50 hole things in their nest, and there's about ten of them that live in there. I didn't see any baby ones or anything, I don't know if they are just born big or what, but they just work busily all day, flying around at times to get gosh knows what. Probably food and water? I've no idea... but they have become interesting to me, so one day I do plan to spend some time reading about them online. Once I find a good website on them, I'll show the kids and we'll all learn some stuff we didn't know about this insect we usually just run screaming from.

I've only gotten bitten by this type of insect perhaps three times in my life, and the majority of those three times (two of them) happened in the week after Hurricane Bob hit Massachusetts in the early 1990s. A bunch of trees were toppled down by the high winds, and it displaced a bunch of flying insects who build their nests in trees. I will never forget driving down Route Six in New Bedford near Buttonwood Park a few days after the storm and seeing people in cars all around me getting stung, and the hornets, yellowjackets and bees that were flying around in my own car, threatening to do the same to me... and they did, eventually.

This time, though, they are at a safe distance. I can just watch them, and not bother them, and just enjoy learning about them. They won't sting anybody here in the house, they just want to hang out in our window for the summer and probably into the fall.

So, I'm going to let them... unless I read something online that explains why it's a bad idea. Hopefully, though, it's ok to just let them be there. I like them being there.