it wasn't like IN the car. it's hard to explain because this space doesn't seem to have a name and i didn't realize it was a space until wasps built a nest there!!

like, when i open the door, there's the inner panel with the buttons and stuff, and then there's the side of the door where the hinge is. and it turns out there's some space in there when the door is closed, and also that space is accessible when the door is closed, because there's a tiny gap between the door itself and the front side panel. and they crawled in there and just built a little house

but when the door is closed, that space isn't connected to the interior of the car. i suppose technically it's the exterior of the car. the squishy lining around the edge of the doorframe seals it off

so i did have my shin pass within inches of a wasp nest every time i got in my car for like a month before even realizing it was there, but they never bothered me or even seemed particularly bothered that i was there. i would say i drove less after discovering them, but i did still drive and they still didn't care. incredibly chill little guys. i would take a peek whenever i got in the car and there'd just be like 4–6 wasps just standing on their little nest

(i only thought to look because every time i parked in my driveway, 1 wasp would come over and hang around my side mirror for a while and then disappear. i could not figure out why they were attracted to my car or how they just seemed to vanish after checking it out. surprise! i had been taking their apartment complex with me and they were waiting for me to bring it back)

but anyway we went to costco in the morning earlier this month, and i think they all set out to hunt or whatever while we were there, because after that there were significantly fewer wasps on the nest, and then zero. kind of sad but i don't know how i could've explained the situation to them