Paper wasp dilemma, destroy or defend? Paper wasps, Polistes spp.

Aficionados of Bug of the Week bear witness to the Jekyll and Hyde nature of this blog. Sometimes we advise eliminating bugs like mosquitos, and sometimes we advocate saving bugs like cicadas – how strange. This week we do a little of both with paper wasps, Polistes spp. Many of us have had the enlightening experience of coming just a bit too close to a paper wasp nest and being rewarded with a memorable sting. I happened upon one such nest cleverly hidden between supports of a pergola and suffered the consequence of getting a bit too close. Nests are typically located beneath overhangs of houses or sheds or in other protected locations. Each nest is initiated in spring by a female wasp called a foundress. The foundress survived the wicked winter in a sheltered spot, perhaps beneath the bark of a tree or a behind a loose piece of siding on a home. 

This covered entryway welcomes not only human visitors but also paper wasps ready to make a home. In one corner a female prepares an anchor for her paper nest. One week later, several cells have been created and the first of her eggs has been deposited. In another corner, two females are a bit further along with nest construction with several cells completed. On a nearby wall a third wasp has laid several eggs. By late summer, nests will bustle with females preparing food for dozens of hungry larval mouths.

In spring, the foundress uses her powerful jaws to gather wood fiber from trees and shrubs. She chews it into pulp and molds the pulp into papery cells. The ever-enlarging nest is shaped like a parasol and suspended by a narrow stalk called a pedicel. After the first few hexagonal cells are constructed, the foundress deposits an egg within each chamber. Eggs soon hatch into legless larvae. Her youngsters have healthy appetites and the queen gets busy hunting food for her babes. Caterpillars are one of the favorite menu items and in this way paper wasps are our allies in the fight against these leaf-munching garden pests. By capturing many caterpillars, paper wasps reduce damage to our valuable crops and landscape plants. 

Paper wasps like this European paper wasp can often be seen gathering wood fibers to build their nests.

After subduing its prey, the paper wasp uses its jaws to slice and dice the victim into a spongy ball. The caterpillar ball is transported back to the nest where hungry mouths await. A high protein diet of fresh caterpillar meat helps small wasp larvae grow rapidly. 

After the prey has been turned into a pulpy ball of flesh, a worker brings the prize back to the nest where nest-mates divvy up the meat to feed developing larvae in their papery cells.

Not all potential foundresses are successful in establishing a colony. Some may join an established nest where they assist the resident foundress in caring for the brood. These subordinates forgo their right to produce young of their own. If some do attempt to lay eggs in the nest, the dominant foundress will find her competitor’s eggs and eat them. Tyranny rules the paper wasp nest! The colony grows as summer progresses and more than a hundred workers may be produced. With the approach of autumn, production in the colony shifts from making workers to making future foundresses and their mates. The new queens and kings that emerge from their cells are a rather lazy lot and spend little time helping with the care of the colony. As workers return to the colony with food for developing larvae, the petulant royals steal and eat the meals. With no more workers being produced and food being diverted to hungry adults, the colony declines. Future foundresses leave the nest to mate and seek protected hibernal refuges. Because of their beneficial nature, paper wasps and their nests should be left alone whenever they do not threaten humans or pets. 

And here is where Mr. Hyde steps in. Recently, a concerned homeowner shared an image of a small wasp nest just under construction in the entryway of a home. As the season progresses and dozens of workers are produced, nests in locations like this pose a threat to folks entering the home. If a foundress starts a nest in a location where people are likely to be stung, surely, you should consider eliminating the nest. Now is an excellent time to do so here in the DMV while the nest is small and few, if any, workers are present. Nests can often be eliminated from a distance with a strong stream of water from a garden hose. This mode of disruption allows the foundress to start another nest anew or perhaps join a different colony. Of course, wasp sprays now or later in the season will also do the trick. 

So, maybe have a look beneath overhangs, in the carport, or at the entryway to your home and eliminate a potential problem now. If you discover a nest out by the barn or in another less worrisome place, maybe watch at a distance the antics of these interesting beneficial insects.

 Acknowledgements

Two marvelous references, “The Insect Societies” by E.O. Wilson and “Biological studies of Polistes in North Carolina (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)” by R.L. Rabb, were used in the preparation of this episode. We thank Anne and Jim for providing the inspiration for this episode.

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