We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Stuart Noble
saying something like:

Strange how something as harmless as a wasps nest can trigger the
fear/aggression response in the male of the species. On the odd occasion
where they're a nuisance I'd pay the £50 but, otherwise, find something
else to worry about.

Some people are so sensitised a single sting could kill them. In that
case it makes no sense to tolerate a nest in the vicinity. Whether the
OP or his family are in that position I don't know.