In August, 1997, Dave and Diane Johnson of Norfolk, Nebraska made a remarkable discovery while remodeling an old home. While removing the porch ceiling, they found an immense yellowjacket nest beneath the roof, measuring over 4' long . Inside its thick, papery envelope, it had 9 tiers of combs with brood cells. Fortunately, this nest was vacant, having built probably by German yellowjackets a year or two earlier. The discovery generated considerable media interest. German yellowjackets are known to commonly nest in structures and can have large nests consisting of over 12,000 cells. This species is a recent immigrant to the United States (1975) and is displacing our natural species, such as the eastern yellowjacket. While a beneficial insect of tremendous value, it also can be quite a nuisance, and sometimes dangerous in late summer into autumn.

(Submitted by Jim Kalisch)