Blackjacket

Description:

Black and white bee that has made a paper nest on the ground.

Habitat:

Coastal temperate rainforest, in a raspberry garden.

Notes:

This is the same nest I spotted before, but it's grown quite a bit in the last few days. I'm pretty sure they must be bald-faced hornets, though they look different from those I see pictures of. [Update: Got a better ID offered--they're blackjackets. Also, the nest was torn apart a few weeks after this, apparently by jays, and the bees fled.]