The Guinea Paper Wasp, Polistes exclamans, is a new wasp species to the yard. New Jersey is the northern limit of its range, although that may be changing with climate change.
Just a few feet from our back door, the nest is a bit disquieting to see. But these critters have been surprisingly docile, not even bothering to buzz around as we come and go (this is the door we use the most).
Like the other Paper Wasp species featured as a yard critter, Polistes annularis, these also feed on caterpillars. Our friend Ann-Marie recently inquired as to the caterpillar population at our place. Unlike a couple of years ago, when I was unemployed and had plenty of time to search the yard, this year I've not spent much time looking. The heat hasn't helped. And we've spent over a month away this summer. But judging from the size of the colony, I'm guessing that there were a good number of caterpillars in the yard this year.
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