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What a lovely hornet! These are truly "gentle giants", and are quite tolerant of human being near their nest. As long as there is no perceived threat, they are quite docile. No need to fear or kill them unless someone in your family has a sting allergy.
Adults drink nectar, but the larvae are carnivorous. So the adults will hunt through your vegetable garden picking off those nasty caterpillars that are eating your garden. Valuable allies indeed!
(I love wasps, if you haven't noticed....)