How Many Wasps Are in a Small Nest?
WouterDuring the summer season, wasps will build a nest in sheltered places such as roof overhangs, porches and wall cavities. Wasps will also help themselves to food sources found in garbage cans and recycling bins.
Some wasps like to live in groups. These groups are called social wasps. These colonies include workers and an egg-carrying queen.
Some wasps have polygynous nests, which have more than one egg-laying queen. These nests may be able to survive through the winter. The number of wasps in a polygynous nest varies depending on the type of wasp.
Queen wasps lay their eggs in a cell in the nest. These cells are usually made of wood pulp and are layered with paper. The queen wasp uses her saliva to break the wood fibers, forming soft paper pulp. She also prepares the cell for egg laying.
The eggs hatch and the young wasps begin building the nest. As the queen wasp dies, her place is taken by a younger queen. The queen wasp can last up to a year.
The workers start to die off when the weather becomes colder. The queen wasp will hibernate for the winter.
When the weather warms up, the queen will emerge from hibernation and start to build a new nest. The nest will take a few months to complete. The nest will usually have about 100 tiers of cells.
After a few months, the nest will begin to grow and expand. The nest may contain up to 5,000 wasps. These nests have a papery exterior and are often built in sheltered locations.
