Thanks for your question. We apologize for the delay in responding.

I’m assuming that this is a nest from 2023. If this is true, wasps do not use the same nest again so it is unlikely that you will encounter wasps in this nest in 2024. See:

https://animals.mom.com/wasps-hornets-come-back-old-nests-11448.html

We had a similar question submitted to us in 2020. This is how we responded then:

“Dear Master Gardener: We have a wasp nest in our pine tree left over from last year. Should we do something about it?

Answer: There is no need to do anything with the wasp nest. Wasp nests only survive for one season and are not reused. The only surviving wasps from last season are new queens and they have spent the winter in protected sites such as under loose bark. When temperatures warm up in the spring the queen becomes active and builds a new papier mâché-like nest where she lays her eggs. When freezing temperatures arrive in the fall, the old queen and all the workers in the nest die. Wasp nests will eventually deteriorate and go away on their own.”

From only seeing a nest, it is very difficult to know the exact type of wasp that inhabited it in 2023. See:

https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/wasps-and-bees - paper-wasps-1464411

Note that the nest in your picture has a larger base than top. This is a distinguishing feature of wasp nests and would rule out this having been a hornet’s nest. See:

https://pinnaclepest.com/hornet-nest-vs-wasp-nest/

You could just leave this nest where it is. Nothing will return to it. It will slowly decompose. If you wish otherwise, just take a long pole and knock it down. Keep it as a souvenir!!

Thanks for consulting us.

Thanks for your response.

In my earlier answer, I indicated that it is difficult to identify the actual inhabitants of an old nest. In trying to provide you with the best information that I can, I have now consulted a colleague who is an entomologist. She said that the nest you are looking at is most likely a type of yellowjacket nest in contrast to my previous statement that it is a wasp’s nest. She also indicated that because of the nest’s size, it is probably the nest of a Bald-Faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata). Here is some information about it:

https://apps.extension.umn.edu/garden/diagnose/insect/indoor/flies/large/bald-faced-hornet.html

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/bald-faced_hornet.html

https://bogopestcontrol.com/bald-faced-hornets-in-minnesota/

I thank you for your persistence in obtaining the information you desired. Should you have further questions, please get back to us.

Glad to have been of assistance.