We found this nest in the garage, inside a cabinet. How long it was there before we located it, I have no idea… but it was interesting to dissect.
We learned about the difference between hornets, wasps in general, what a Paper Wasp is and how it is actually quite beneficial, sand wasps, and yellow jackets.
Many of the sites online refer to wasps as pests, discuss how they will annihilate them for you. I kept looking for discussions that actually appreciated the insect.. I found a few.
Most wasps are beneficial in their natural habitat, and are critically important in natural biocontrol.[3] Paper wasps feed on nectar, and other insects, including caterpillars, flies, and beetlelarvae, and they are often considered to be beneficial by gardeners.[6] – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_wasp
If it looks like this, then it is a yellowjacket. Notice the wide abdomen, the complete lack of respect for your personal space, and the fact that it will gladly taste your meal, your soft drink, or your beer for you.
I’m a Yellowjacket, NOT A BEE!
But, if it looks like this it is a mud dauber, (the main predator –READ eater– of Black widow spiders), and a friend of your garden;
Mud Dauber
Or, if it looks like this, it is a paper wasp (would much rather eat aphids than your lunch) but has the unseemly habit of building its homes 
under your nice and dry eaves;
And even if it looks like this 
, a bald-faced hornet, who much prefer to eat eat pesky insects, including caterpillars, that damage gardens and fruit trees, houseflies and blowflies. You can read a short kid’s article here. But, if you are intent on upsetting their home, 
, they will surely lose their temper. Who wouldn’t?
Now, the most important thing to remember here, is that NONE OF THESE INSECTS ARE BEES! The little furry friends to which this site is dedicated look unlike any of their vespid counterparts.
Honeybee on Flower
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The inner chambers of the nest we had to explore.
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Then there are the sort of nests that humans are um, semi-responsible for…
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Paper Wasp Nest
Caption: A female paper wasp (Polistes metricus) on her recently founded nest, in this case constructed in the laboratory from source materials in University of Illinois school colors. The first of her daughters will emerge as a worker from the cocoon at lower right, and then the foundress will become queen of the developing wasp society.
Credit: Photo by J. H. Hunt and A. L. Toth
Usage Restrictions: Photo may be used only with stories about the research described in the news release. Please credit: Photo by J. H. Hunt and A. L. Toth
Related news release: Wasp genetics study suggests altruism evolved from maternal behavior
AND this is the coolest:
