Re the "bees" (etc.), I find the accounts of the super-jumbo-sized nests
amazing!! However, I wonder if those folks quoted or paraphrased as
saying that the many queens would need to be separate actually have
a clue: while it might be true that honey bee queens seek sole occupation
of a nest, I don't think that that's the case for wasps. I've seen cases where
a 2nd queen polistes ("paper"--smaller, open combs, often under eaves)
wasp for some reason joined another nest, and at an early stage when
only the other queen (IIRC) was about: there was some jittery winged
chasing round'n'round, but after a while the newcomer was accepted.
(And I've see the sad situation where a parasitic fly patiently awaited
a solo queen's necessary departure in order to do its deadly deeds.
(These wasps feed young on caterpillars--a beneficial trait.)) I imagine
that the new yellowjacket queens simply moved variously into places as
the nest grew & grew--maybe in close proximity sometimes, but with all
that space, often not. Though how the usual mating instincts got turned
around to accommodate the in-house residence is a good study topic!?
I once had the chance to move a knocked down (birds?) small (tennis ball
size) hornets nest, capturing most or all of the wasps into a jar, and taking
the remnant bottom half of nest to attach as top umbrella-like, taping &
stitching comb to gallon milk jug cut nearly in half on daigonal. Mounted
that to a porch window pane, sealed it all, and loaded the wasps. Slept
out on porch to watch 1st departure (I had to earlier open the bottom).
It never amounted to much, though--just one comb, even (not the layers).
But it was kinda neat to be able to peak inside. However, when the porch
was much vibrated by walking, wow, the wasps came out very agitated
--smack on the glass and you sometimes saw the venom of the stinger.
So, yes, one can work beside them (I saw someone run a lawnmower over
a yellowjacket hole!) w/o problem, but beware disturbance !!
In many cases where the nests are large there will be such continual egress
& return that by pausing and carefully looking you can detect the presence
of nests. --btw, no one's mentioned European hornets (workers about the
size of queen bald-faced ones, and I've seen a Euro kill for prey the smaller
bald-faced; recently saw one wrestle a (dying anyway?) cicada at length,
trying to chew it up alive (seemed to NOT use sting, which I image the
slightly larger cicada killer (solitary) wasps do use)!
*kN*
