# ID and info about garden wasp.



## blg002 (May 4, 2015)

I assume this is a paper wasp, right?










That is a picture of her eating some of my cedar raised bed for nest making, i assume. Is this something to worry about or should i be happy that i will have wasp, that as i understand will be a predator for unwanted pests, visiting my garden often. They were not aggressive at all so im not scared of stings, i don't care about the aesthetics of the eaten wood unless it's going to be totally destroyed.


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## Cdnbeekeeper (Apr 27, 2015)

Hello, yes! That is a nice paper wasp, she will eat spiders, flies and mostly small caterpillars and other insects to feed her larvae. I have raised a colony of paper wasps before and they are only aggressive if you are within a few feet of the colony on hot days. They react to quick movement so just keep a safe distance and they won't bother you. The colonies reach maybe 200 tops, but that's seems rare. Once they are finished they disband for the winter and you can remove the paper nest if you know where it is. They won't hibernate in it or anything. As for your wood they take small scrapings off in maybe 1 inch long lines if it's good wood for them to work with. If it is the only easily accessible wood for them they will return every day as the colony grows. Only taking the soft top layer off. I don't normally see them take painted wood though lol. Anyway, another neat social insect.  

I am unsure of the exact species but it's likely polistes dominulus aka the European paper wasp. Common in the norther States, Canada, etc.


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