Wasps, commonly seen during warmer months, seem to disappear entirely with the arrival of colder weather. This seasonal vanishing act often leads to questions about their winter whereabouts. Understanding what happens to these insects as temperatures drop reveals a remarkable survival strategy centered around the continuity of the species.
The Fate of the Wasp Colony
As temperatures fall, most of a wasp colony dies. Worker wasps and male wasps complete their life cycles and die with the onset of cold weather. Freezing temperatures and diminishing food sources contribute to their demise. Wasps do not store food within their nests to sustain the colony through winter. The existing nest, a structure of chewed wood pulp, is abandoned and not reused.
The Queen’s Winter Survival
While worker and male wasps perish, the species’ future rests on newly produced, fertilized queen wasps. These queens are the only individuals from the colony to survive winter. To endure the cold, they seek sheltered locations and enter a state of dormancy called diapause. During diapause, the queen’s metabolic rate slows, allowing her to conserve energy and survive on stored fat reserves.
Overwintering queens find refuge in protected spots like under loose tree bark, within hollow logs, in soil, or inside building crevices such as attics, sheds, or wall cavities. These locations offer insulation from cold and protection from predators. However, not all queens survive; some fall prey to spiders or other insects, or emerge prematurely during warm winter spells, leading to starvation.
Emergence and New Beginnings
As spring arrives and temperatures rise, hibernating queen wasps awaken from diapause. Their first priority is to find sustenance, seeking nectar from early blooming flowers to replenish energy. Each queen then begins the solitary task of establishing a new colony. She searches for a suitable nesting site, including tree branches, eaves, wall cavities, or underground burrows.
The queen constructs a small, initial nest using chewed wood fibers mixed with her saliva, forming a papery substance. Within this nascent structure, she lays her first batch of eggs. These eggs hatch into larvae, which the queen feeds until they pupate and emerge as the first generation of worker wasps. Once these workers mature, they take over nest expansion, foraging for food, and caring for subsequent broods. This allows the queen to focus solely on laying eggs and growing the colony throughout the summer.