This is one of the largest yellow jacket nests I've seen in my 16 years. The main part of the nest measured 20 inches across plus an additional egg chamber inside the pump house that could not be measured.

I suspect that these yellow jackets over-wintered given the nest size. They were located in a pump house which remains heated during the winter. I have witnessed 3 times where they have managed to make it through a winter in Ohio so it's possible if conditions are just right.

I managed to only get stung once during the removal. They were extra aggressive because opening the pump house ripped open the top of the nest.

Video filmed 9/11/2020 in North Bloomfield, Ohio