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Case of the Disappearing Caterpillars Solved |
By Carl Wilson, Colorado University Cooperative Extension, Horticulture
There
often
seems to be good with the bad and that is the case with the European paper wasp (Polistes
dominulus). These Western yellow jacket look-alikes have moved into many parts of the
state including the Denver Metro area in the last 5 years. They are an aggressive predator
of caterpillars, beetle larvae and other suitable prey. Once captured, they chew up prey
to feed their young through the open ends of the cells of their paper nests. They have
almost taken away children's fun of finding a large tomato hornworm.
Cabbageworm and corn earworm are other insects paper wasps have helped to control. On the
negative side, paper wasps make their nests in all sorts of spots around building soffits,
windows and siding and aggressively defend them by stinging people casually passing by.
Photos: Whitney Cranshaw
