Wasps – Attacking Furniture

Q: For the last two years we have been plagued with a reddish-brown wasp that seems attracted to our wooden deck chairs. I have searched for a nest, but couldn’t find one. How can I rid our deck and yard area of them?

A: The wasp could indeed be attracted to the chairs. They are known to harvest the soft layer of weathered wood on the surface of deck furniture to use in making their paper nest.

I suppose you could spray the non-sitting, non-food-contact parts of the furniture with insecticide or perhaps cover it with an attractive chair cover in summer.