I'm thankful I didn't get stung, but it got me thinking about how drought could affect these nests. According to the NC State Extension, the type of yellow jackets seen in North Carolina build ...

or they may build aerial nests on shrubs, trees, and houses. Yellow jackets stay active until late fall when a killing frost ...

Rotting wood usually provides the building material for the nests, but entomologists have found some nests constructed with the remains of ground-nesting yellow jackets that bald-faced hornets ...