Insect and Spider Identification: CLOSED: Hornet's Nest?, 0 by Ozark

Ozark wrote:
Now that leaves have dropped, I was surprised this afternoon to see this thing high up in a maple tree in our back yard. It's big, about 18" from top to bottom, and it's about 35' off the ground.

Thing is, this is only a few feet away from our patio where we spend a lot of time barbecuing, etc., in the warm months. I'm very surprised to see it because we really didn't notice many stinging insects around there this summer. OK, there's a big wisteria vine shading the patio and bumblebees were thick on those blossoms when it bloomed, but I know bumblebees nest in the ground. We often see a few mud-dauber wasps under our eaves, but they're building their little mud-tube structures - not this.

Insects aren't very active now, of course - but WHAT BUILT THIS, and will they cause a problem next spring? I'd be happy to leave it alone if it was further from the house, but I don't know if I can. Just getting rid of it would be a problem, there's no way I can reach it. I think I'd have to wait for a cold day to be sure nothing comes swarming out, then blast it (quite a few times) with a shotgun. I hate to do that. What am I up against here, and can I safely live-and-let-live and leave it alone? Thanks.