How Can Wasps Live in Winter?
WouterDuring the winter months, wasps have to go through torpor. In order to hibernate, they burrow underground in a small space or build a nest in an attic. They may also be found hibernating in leaf litter or woodpiles.
In order to survive the cold, the female wasp will begin searching for a safe, dry place to hibernate. The wasp will burrow into a hole in the ground or burrow in a crack or crevice in the wall. It will tuck its wings around its body to keep warm and may freeze solid.
The queen wasps will produce enough workers to take over the feeding and maintaining of the nest. In early spring, the queen will emerge from her hibernation and begin searching for a new nest. She may build a new nest near the old one or she may make a new one elsewhere.
When the queen wasps find a place to nest, they will begin to lay eggs. These eggs will hatch into young wasps. The young wasps will begin to feed and grow as the weather warms up.
If the weather remains mild, the young wasps will continue to grow. The old nest may die out in the winter and the new queen will find a new place to hunker down.
When winter arrives, most species of social wasps abandon their nests. Only fertile females will survive the winter. The remaining adult wasps and the old queen will die.
