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gardenfullofswallowtails

What plants attract paper wasps?

This may sound crazy, but I love paper wasps. I was wondering what plants to get to attract them. I have a few goldenrods and I just got common boneset to help attract them.

Comments (6)

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    9 years ago

    Any pollen and nectar producing plants would be fine with paper wasps. I've noticed them especially on my Sedums and Agastache. But what they would really appreciate is a good crop of caterpillars.

  • larry_gene
    9 years ago

    With paper wasps, they chew wood to form the "paper" and they feed their larvae small insects, Im guessing, as I see many different wasps patrolling plants that are being chewed by other insect larva, and the wasps cart those larva away to their nest.

    Wasps often hang out on damp ground, a moisture source for the paper making process.

    So a source of partially decayed or weathered wood and overhanging structures where their nest stays dry would be more attractive than any particular growing plant.

    The wasps would range over your entire neighborhood looking for food and damp ground. Proper shelter and old wood availability is more important for keeping them at your place.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    9 years ago

    Here's my paper wasp story.

    I was sitting in my back yard one summer evening, reading a book. Suddenly, a paper wasp swooped down on the book and started making a loud buzzing sound up and down the edge of the pages!

    I was a little disconcerted but let her do her thing. She flew off after several seconds but came back time and time again over the next thirty minutes or so,

    I eventually headed for the house as soon as she left one time, thinking that I had better get away while I could. I wasn't readying, anyway. She was much too interesting to watch.

    I would see the wasps working on an old wicker chair, woven baskets, etc.

  • Andy2302
    9 years ago

    There are some ancient wood markers/sticks in the garden. The paper wasps love them. I can some times even hear them scratching away to gather nesting material. They hunt in the broccoli patch for cabbage worms, too. A fine insect to observe.

  • larry_gene
    9 years ago

    Around the house, much preferable to ground-dwellers like yellow jackets or to hornets and their large nests.

    I've had several paper nests on my 24" eaves only twice in over 20 years.

    Every year they start several nests in a mini-greenhouse where I leave the doors cracked open to prevent overheating, but these nests seldom grow to more than 15-20 cells, attended by 3 or 4 wasps.

  • theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
    9 years ago

    Plant something in the carrot family and let it flower. I've got several bronze fennel plants (a perennial) in my yard and when they are in flower there are all sorts of wasps and hornets on them.

    Rodney

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