I say this because I've just found several growing caterpillars on my outdoor plants.
Until now, this would not have happened because the wasps were eating all the eggs and any small caterpillars that got through. When I say 'all', I mean all. The only way to ensure eggs were safe, was to watch for a female Monarch laying eggs and immediately take the eggs indoors. If I left an egg outside, for even just 30 minutes, when I went back it would be gone.
Complete predator danger has not completely passed, however. Spiders, shield bugs, lady birds, earwigs and Katydids (to name a few) are still with us. Nevertheless, without the constantly patrolling Asian paper Wasps the chances for the outdoor survival of our Monarch caterpillars has somewhat increased.
This morning I found three caterpillars on my outdoor plants, which really thrilled me.
My swan plants have regrown tremendously, in the last month (at which time I found them devastated by aphids) and are looking really good, so there's now plenty of food for any caterpillars that come along.
So, if you are in New Zealand and have Swan Plants growing in the garden, keep a watch to see if any of your outside plants that are not covered, have eggs and/or baby cats on them. That's the sign that the wasps, even if they are still around, are now supping on nectar and not protein.