Copper enthralled by missing stripper? (6)
I believe the answer is:
locust
'stripper?' is the definition.
(insects which strip areas of vegetation)
'copper enthralled by missing' is the wordplay.
'copper' becomes 'Cu' (chemical symbol).
'enthralled by' indicates putting letters inside ('enthral' can mean 'capture').
'missing' becomes 'lost' (similar in meaning).
'cu' inserted inside 'lost' is 'LOCUST'.
(Other definitions for locust that I've seen before include "Ravenous insect" , "Large insect" , "Destructive tropical grasshopper" , "Voracious insect in dreaded swarms" , "Dreaded grasshopper that swarms and devours" .)