How Long Wasps Live Without Food
WouterSeveral factors influence how long wasps live without food. Species, weather conditions, age and colony rank all play a role. Some species can survive up to weeks without food, while others may only survive for a day. However, most wasps die within 72 hours of starvation.
Wasps are social insects, so they spend most of their lives living in a colony. In the spring, a queen will start building her nest. This structure is made from wood fibre and saliva. She will also lay eggs and lay larvae. In the winter, the queen will hibernate in a sheltered place. In the summer, she is active and will capture caterpillars, greenfly, and other insects.
The queen wasp’s lifespan is the longest. The queen may live for up to 12 months. The worker wasps, however, live a shorter amount of time. They are also less able to store as many calories as the queen.
The female working wasp can live up to three weeks without food. The worker wasp is responsible for maintaining the nest and gathering food for the queen. Unlike the queen, the worker wasp is infertile. When a worker dies, it is replaced by a new worker.
Queen wasps hibernate in the winter, carrying the bloodlines of the colony. Unlike the worker wasps, queen wasps have the ability to overwinter. However, only sexually mated queens hibernate.
Wasps also lose their life when they become dehydrated. If a wasp is left without food and water, it will begin to dehydrate. When it is dehydrated, it will not be able to cope with the extreme cold.
