Yellow jackets are common social wasps observed during warmer months. As temperatures begin to fall and winter approaches, what happens to these active insects? This article explores the annual cycle of yellow jackets and their survival strategies in colder conditions.
The Fate of the Colony
As colder weather arrives, the vast majority of a yellow jacket colony perishes. All sterile female worker yellow jackets die with the onset of freezing temperatures or the first hard frost. These workers are not adapted to survive winter conditions, lacking the ability to regulate their body temperature effectively or find sufficient food resources when temperatures drop significantly.
The original queen, who initiated the colony in the spring, also meets her end as winter sets in. Her reproductive role for the season is complete. Yellow jacket nests themselves are abandoned and are not reused in subsequent years. These paper-like structures, constructed from chewed wood fibers, are not built to withstand the rigors of winter and typically deteriorate over time.
The Survival of the Species
Despite the demise of the main colony, the yellow jacket species endures through a specialized survival mechanism. Late in summer or early fall, the existing colony produces new, fertile queens and male yellow jackets, also known as drones. These new queens mate with the drones, often away from the original nest, before winter arrives.
Following mating, the male yellow jackets die. The newly fertilized queens then seek sheltered locations to overwinter. They enter a state of dormancy, known as diapause, where their metabolic rate slows to conserve energy. Overwintering sites include natural crevices like under tree bark, rotting logs, leaf litter, or soil cavities. Human-made structures such as attics, wall voids, sheds, or firewood piles also provide refuge during their dormant period.
Emergence of New Colonies
With the arrival of spring, rising temperatures signal the hibernating queens to awaken from their dormant state. Each surviving queen emerges from her overwintering site, now solely responsible for establishing a new colony. She begins by searching for a suitable location to build her new nest, which can be underground, in tree cavities, or within structural voids.
Once a site is chosen, the queen constructs a small, initial paper nest and lays her first batch of eggs. These first offspring develop into sterile female workers. As these workers mature, they take over the tasks of expanding the nest, foraging for food, and caring for subsequent generations, restarting the annual life cycle of the yellow jacket colony.