Abstract
We obtained a significant gain of weight and quality of cabbage in plots exposed to foraging Polistes wasps compared with cabbage in control plots. This reflects the significant reduction in numbers of large Pieris rapae larvae due to wasp predation. In 1980 the reduction in larvae did not show a corresponding reduction in damage and loss of yield. One average nest of wasps (5.6 wasps) was sufficient to reduce Pieris populations by up to five larvae (44%) on each of ca. 20 cabbage plants during the season. A major reason levels of control achieved by Polistes in this study were not higher was the availability of alternate prey.
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