How Long Do Wasps Live?

Several factors can affect the lifespan of wasps. These include the weather, food availability and predation. The lifespan of a wasp can vary from one day to several weeks. A wasp’s lifespan can also be affected by its position in the nest. Those in the first few cells of the nest have longer lifespans.

Wasps are social insects. They have a queen who lays eggs and feeds on a meal. She also protects the eggs. The eggs hatch and grow into larvae, which feed on insects. After several weeks, they are ready to pupate. The pupa encloses itself in a silk cocoon to protect against predators and parasites. This cocoon helps the wasp to survive until it emerges in the spring.

The queen wasp lives for up to a year. She lays eggs in the first few cells of the nest. She then flies away to produce more queens. The new queen builds a nest adjacent to the old one. The nest is then filled with several hundred queens. Eventually, the queen wasp dies.

The lifespan of a worker wasp is shorter than that of a queen. Workers live 12 to 22 days. They have a slower metabolism and do not eat much in nature. They will die if they are starved. They also are vulnerable to predators such as beetles, centipedes, dragonflies, and insects.

The queen wasp dies if she is separated from the hive. She will also die if she does not have access to food or water.