How Do Wasps Live Through the Winter?
WouterDuring the colder winter months, most of the wasps in a colony die off. The main reason for this is that there are not enough food sources available for the wasps.
Usually, only the queen wasps survive. These wereps need to hibernate to protect themselves from the cold. They can live through the winter if they are well protected. The queen wasps are responsible for plant pollination like honey bees. They lay around 1,500 eggs a day.
The young wasps continue to build the nest after the queen wasp dies. They have dangling legs and a banded abdomen. They also have mouthparts similar to a honey bee. These mouthparts are tubes for sucking liquid. They regurgitate insect food to feed the larvae. They also use nectar from flowers in the early spring to feed the larvae.
Most wasps die of starvation in the winter. The queen wasps can also die of starvation. The queen wasps in a home will search for a good place to build their colony. They will probably choose a place in a house that is warm and sheltered from predators.
When the weather warms up, the queen wasps will build a nest. The nest can be located in a basement, attic, or even in the ceiling of a home.
In the spring, the queen wasps will start laying eggs. They can lay up to 250,000 eggs a season. The nest will contain cells and the queen will lay eggs only in those cells that are constructed.
