Question: We have had an outbreak of paper wasps and mud daubers making their nests all over our house this summer. Is there an easy way to stop them?

Answer: These pests seem to migrate to rural and sub-rural landscapes when adjacent areas are dry. The easiest way of controlling them is merely to break their nests apart as soon as you see them being formed. Most types will not be aggressive unless cornered. Yellow jackets, by comparison, will attack without provocation. You can use one of the long-throw, quick-knock-down sprays to kill them at the nest site, but be careful not to let the spray drift onto adjacent trees and shrubs. Most of those products have propellants that will burn foliage.