How Old Are Wasps?
WouterDepending on the species, the lifespan of wasps ranges from 12 to 22 days. Wasps are social insects that live in colonies. They are also important pollinators of flowers. A colony can contain up to 10,000 wasps at a time.
The lifespan of the female wasps is shorter than that of the males. They die after mating. They are also more vulnerable to predators.
The queen wasps go through a period of hibernation during the winter. After this period, the queen will emerge in the spring. She will build a nest to lay eggs. These eggs will develop into a new queen. The old queen dies with the colony.
The workers help the queen in building a nest. They collect food for the larvae. They also provide protection for the nest. The workers die at the end of the season.
The queen wasps live up to a year. They hibernate during the winter and emerge in the spring. They lay eggs in the nest cells.
The worker wasps help the queen in building a nest. These workers also feed the larvae. The larvae develop into fertile males and females. The females become next year’s queens. The males also die after mating.
The yellowjacket life cycle is similar to the other social wasps. The yellowjacket queen can live up to fifteen months. She will lay eggs throughout the summer and winter. At the end of the summer, she will die.
The worker wasps live about twelve to twenty days. The wasps die during the summer and winter. Their eggs hatch in five to eight days. The larvae feed on protein sources and sweet substances. They produce sugar-rich spit.
