As temperatures drop, many wonder about the fate of wasps common during warmer months. Unlike some insects that remain active or migrate, most wasps face a distinct end to their life cycle with the arrival of cold weather. Only a select few survive to ensure their species’ continuation, primarily through a specialized form of overwintering.
Wasp Colony Life Cycle
The life of a social wasp colony begins anew each spring with a single queen. Emerging from her winter dormancy, the queen constructs a small nest from chewed wood fibers, creating a papery substance. Within this initial structure, she lays her first batch of eggs. These eggs hatch into larvae, which she feeds until they mature into sterile female worker wasps.
As the season progresses into summer, these worker wasps take over nest expansion, food foraging, and care for subsequent generations of larvae. The queen then primarily focuses on egg-laying, producing hundreds of eggs per day. By late summer, the colony reaches its peak size, housing thousands of individuals. During this period, the queen also produces male wasps and new, fertile queens.
As autumn approaches and temperatures cool, the social structure of the colony starts to break down. The existing queen often reaches the end of her life, and the worker wasps and males, lacking fat reserves for winter, gradually die off. Food sources become scarce, contributing to the colony’s demise. The nest is abandoned and deteriorates over winter, as it is not reused.
The Queen’s Winter Survival
Only newly fertilized queen wasps survive colder weather, entering a state of suspended development known as diapause. This physiological adaptation allows them to endure winter by significantly reducing their metabolic rate and conserving energy. During diapause, the queen’s bodily functions slow, enabling survival without food for months, relying on pre-winter fat reserves.
These queens seek sheltered, undisturbed locations to overwinter, protecting them from cold and predators. Common overwintering sites include under loose tree bark, within hollow logs or stumps, in leaf litter, or in soil cavities. They also utilize human-made structures like attics, sheds, garages, wall cavities, or building crevices, finding them warm and quiet.
The queen carefully positions herself, tucking her antennae and wings close to her body for protection. While many queens may not survive winter due to predation, other insects, or starvation from early emergence during warm spells, those finding suitable, insulated locations have a higher chance of survival. These fertilized queens’ survival ensures the wasp species’ continuation.
The Start of a New Colony
As spring arrives and temperatures rise, the surviving queen awakens from her diapause. Her emergence varies, occurring between March and May depending on climate. She then begins a solitary search for a suitable new nest location. This site is often a dry, sheltered space, such as a loft, shed, eaves, or an underground burrow.
Once a site is chosen, the queen constructs a small, golf ball-sized nest using chewed wood fibers to form a papery pulp. She lays her first batch of eggs within this initial structure. These eggs hatch, and the queen feeds the developing larvae until they mature into the first generation of sterile female worker wasps. With the emergence of these workers, they take over nest expansion, food foraging, and caring for subsequent broods, allowing the queen to focus solely on egg-laying and perpetuating the colony. This annual cycle ensures the continuous presence of wasps.