Yellow jackets are a type of social wasp, known for their distinct black and yellow markings and organized colony structures. They are found across various parts of the world, including North America and Europe. Understanding their social organization, particularly the role and number of queens, provides insight into their biology and annual life cycle.
The Solitary Founding Queen
Each yellow jacket colony begins with a single, fertilized queen who overwintered in a sheltered location. She emerges in spring to find a suitable nesting site, constructing a small, paper nest from chewed plant fibers and saliva, often underground or in a protected space.
The founding queen is solely responsible for building the first cells, laying eggs, and foraging for food for the developing larvae. She lays eggs that hatch into the first generation of sterile female workers. At this stage, the nest contains only one queen.
Seasonal Production of New Queens
As the colony grows through summer, the first workers emerge, taking over nest expansion, foraging, and larval care. This allows the founding queen to focus on laying eggs, rapidly increasing colony size. A mature colony can reach 4,000-5,000 workers by late summer or early fall.
In late summer to early fall, the colony shifts focus from producing workers to creating the next generation of reproductives. Workers build special cells, and the queen lays eggs that develop into new males and fertile queens. These developing queens receive a richer diet, allowing them to mature. A single large nest can produce hundreds or thousands of new queens.
The Colony’s Annual Cycle and Queen Survival
Once produced, new queens and males leave the nest to mate. After mating, males die, while fertilized queens seek sheltered locations to overwinter. These sites include hollow logs, tree stumps, leaf litter, soil cavities, or attics. New queens build fat reserves to survive the cold months.
The original founding queen dies with the onset of cold weather as her reproductive output declines. Worker yellow jackets also perish with winter temperatures. The old nest is not reused in subsequent years, even if intact. This annual cycle ensures only newly fertilized queens survive to establish new colonies the following spring.