A Simple Signal with a Big Purpose
You open your mailbox and spot it—a single dryer sheet, tucked in the corner or taped to the side.
At first glance, it might seem odd. Did someone drop it? Is it litter?
No.
That dryer sheet is actually a quiet act of community care—a gentle warning and a natural deterrent left by your mail carrier to keep everyone safe from a hidden summer danger: wasps.
🔍 Why Wasps Love Mailboxes
Mailboxes are perfect wasp real estate:
Sheltered from wind and rain
Dark and enclosed—ideal for nest-building
Warm at night (metal boxes retain daytime heat)
Undisturbed—most people don’t check them daily
Yellowjackets and paper wasps often build nests deep in the back of mailboxes. And when a mail carrier reaches in to deliver letters?
→ They get stung. Repeatedly.
One mail carrier reported being stung 10 times in a single summer—just doing their job.
