How Do Wasps Stay in Nest Over Winter?
WouterDuring winter, the queen wasp is dormant. In fact, most queens die during winter. They are starved of food. However, when the temperatures are warm, the queen wasp can re-emerge.
In the spring, the queen of the wasp colony will begin looking for a new home for the colony. After a while, she will find a suitable place to hibernate. After this, she will lay eggs in her new nest.
The queen wasp lays up to two hundred thousand eggs per year. These eggs are then fertilized and formed into male drones. These drones are in charge of evenly dispersing the genes of the colony. They do not mate with queens from the same colony.
The queen wasp builds a new nest after winter. The first eggs to hatch become the workers of the colony. When the weather begins to warm, the queen lays more eggs. These eggs hatch into male and female drones.
The queen wasp lays her last eggs in autumn. These eggs hatch into young wasps. These young wasps continue to build the nest. The last eggs to hatch become the new queen.
The queen wasp will tuck her wings around her body, and enter into a semi-dormant state. She will continue to rest until spring when she will emerge and begin the process of building a new nest.
If there is a shortage of food, the queen wasp may starve to death. Her mouthparts are similar to those of a honey bee. She can even fit through tiny holes.
