As temperatures drop, many wonder what becomes of wasp populations. Unlike some other insects, the vast majority of a wasp colony does not survive the cold. Their annual life cycle, particularly in temperate climates, reveals a strategy for species continuation. This natural process ensures that while most individual wasps perish, the lineage endures to establish new colonies each spring.
The Fate of the Colony
As winter approaches, a wasp colony’s activity significantly diminishes. Most wasps, including all workers and males (drones), die off due to decreasing food availability, colder temperatures, and the natural completion of their life cycle. Below 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit, a wasp’s ability to fly and metabolism are significantly impaired, making foraging for dwindling food sources nearly impossible. Starvation is a major cause of death, as wasps do not store food reserves like honeybees. Male wasps, having fulfilled their reproductive purpose, typically die in late autumn.
Nests constructed throughout spring and summer are not reused for subsequent seasons. These papery structures, made from chewed wood fibers and saliva, are built for a single year’s colony. Once cold weather sets in and the colony perishes, the nest becomes inactive and is abandoned. While new nests might be built nearby in future years, an old nest’s physical structure is not reoccupied by a new queen.
Queen Survival and New Colonies
Wasp species survival through winter rests solely on newly fertilized queen wasps. Produced in late summer or early autumn, these queens mate before seeking a protected overwintering location. They build fat reserves, crucial for survival without food. Once a suitable spot is found, the queen enters diapause, a state similar to hibernation. During diapause, her metabolic rate slows significantly, conserving energy and allowing her to survive on stored fat until spring.
Queen wasps seek sheltered, undisturbed places to overwinter. Common sites include cracks in buildings, under tree bark, hollow logs, attics, sheds, wall cavities, or underground burrows. They remain inactive, protected from winter elements and predators. As temperatures rise in spring, surviving queens emerge from diapause. Each queen then establishes a new colony from scratch.
The queen lays her initial eggs in these newly constructed cells. She cares for these first larvae, feeding them until they develop into adult worker wasps. Once these workers emerge, they take over foraging, nest expansion, and caring for subsequent broods. This allows the queen to focus solely on laying more eggs. This annual cycle of colony demise and queen survival ensures the continuation of wasp populations.