Polistes carolina, commonly known as the red wasp, can be found throughout the U.S., and are given the name "paper wasp" due to the color and texture of their nests. Their nests have been referred to as papier-mâché houses and can be found attached to a variety of objects in nature and in homes! Interestingly, red wasp nests, crafted from saliva and dead plants, contain cells that allow larvae to grow upside-down with their head oriented toward the ground (1). As temperatures drop and the winter months begin to arrive in northern and Midwest U.S., inseminated female paper wasps begin to look for winter homes, as sites to "hold out" through the winter until warmer weather comes around (1). In regard to ecological significance and predatory control of other animals, red wasps primarily consume caterpillars, thus serving as controls on feeding damage caused by caterpillars feeding on crops (2).

1. entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/WASPS/Polistes_carolina...

2. www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?ident...

Upper School Fall drama production of Macbeth, by Michelle Scrivener