She is a European paper wasp, a new and rapidly spreading arrival in Colorado (first spotted here in 2001). I found this out thanks to a helpful Colorado State University Extension fact sheet written by Whitney Cranshaw, the don of Colorado creepy-crawlies.This fertilized queen spent the winter by herself in some sheltered spot, then started building her nest, making paper from wood that she had chewed to pulp. Her little colony will grow throughout the summer, then die off next fall, leaving behind a few more queens to start the process anew.
To give you an idea of her size, that post is just 1.5 inches square. I marked it with an arrow in the photo below. Please ignore the rest of the mess that is my garden.
I'm debating whether to let her stay there. Unlike yellowjackets (which look a lot like her, but fatter), she is not a scavenger, preferring to feast on caterpillars and other insects, many of them garden pests. But as her brood grows, I fear the wasplets may become more defensive of that space, which you can see is right next to the garden faucet. I also wonder if wasps eat honeybees. I guess I'd better get more info and make a decision soon!
Wasps will eat bees, but only when they are very hungry. More likely they will want to eat the bee larvae, which could be a problem for your hive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Steph. They would have a hard time getting into the hive, I think, as the entrance is rather constricted and well-defended.
ReplyDeleteThe feed back Ive gotten so far is more in favor of getting rid of her as an invasive species. Which I don't relish doing.
We collect their nests after first front every year. They're usually about the size of a football, and often found in trees near roads. They use the roads for flying paths.
ReplyDelete