Narcissus

This one, not this one.I had a visit this morning from a pair of yellow-jackets. They were at my back door, trying to get out, but of course I had to photograph them first. Here is one, looking at his reflection in the double glass of the door.

These are the same (Vespula pensylvanica?) as the ones we saw at the Buddhist temple in Richmond a week ago. And there were a few at Gunderson Slough, as well. One was chewing away at an old piling; he paid us no mind, even though both Laurie and I held cameras only a few inches away. He must have been collecting woodpulp to make his paper nest.
Other varieties of yellow jacket, and the related bald-faced hornet, nest in trees or in the ground. V. pensylvanica will also use human habitations. I have often seen them, in great numbers, entering and leaving a building via a tiny crack in the siding or roof overhang.

Right now, they are peaceful enough, just interested in food and building materials. Later in the summer, once their numbers increase, they can get quite agressive and will sting repeatedly. One stung my grandson when he was only 6 months old; how the poor baby howled! But a bit of baking soda and water paste stopped the swelling, and a bottle and a good cuddle tided him over the rest. By the time his mother got home, he was fine. Unless you are allergic to them, the sting produces only a temporary reaction.

However, I'll be keeping a watch out for them here, and stop up any cracks I find them using. I am tolerant of so-called "pests", but there's a limit.