European Paper Wasp

Here's another invader insect, the European Paper Wasp. Despite the name, its home range really extends from Europe to North Africa to China. It somehow invaded the US in the 1980s and is growing in numbers since then.

These guys are true paper wasps, another sibling group to the yellowjackets and hornets. Technically the term paper wasp is misleading since other types of wasps (like those yellowjackets and hornets) make papery nests, but that remains their common name.

Unlike many other paper wasps, it doesn't rely on caterpillars as food for their larvae; their larvae will eat other (chewed up) insects as well. Being a non-fussy eater is very helpful if you're suddenly living in a new part of the planet without familiar food sources. I suspect that's part of the reason it's been successful here.

Despite growing in numbers, I don't (yet) see them a lot. Or maybe I do; they're pretty easy to mistake for our yellowjackets. I'm told to look for orangish antenna and a somewhat more compact appearance to distinguish them from yellowjackets.

These guys seem to be replacing some of our native paper wasps like the Dark Paper Wasp. Besides a likely loss of biodiversity, it's unclear what the consequences of this invasion will be.

Though the larvae need the protein found in chewed-up insects, the adults typically nourish themselves with nectar, honeydew, or the fluids in rotting fruit.

August 26, 2021 at Mt Pleasant Villas
Photo 157772817, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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