When Do Wasps Create Nests?
WouterDuring the spring and summer, wasps create nests. They build these nests to house their young. These nests can be made of paper, wood, mud, or other materials. Some of these nests are enormous. Other nests are small and compact. The queen wasp will lay eggs inside of these nests. The nests will contain thousands of young wasps.
After the queen wasp has laid her eggs, the adult worker wasps start to lay their own eggs. The eggs will hatch into infertile females called “laborers”. These workers build the nest for the queen. These nests are constructed of wood fibers mixed with saliva. These nests are usually found in roof spaces or wall cavities.
Wasps come into houses to build their nests. They are social insects. They prefer to live in sheltered places like attics, garages, and barns. They will also build nests in rock crevices or building cavities. Some wasp species also build aerial nests.
During the autumn, wasp colonies stop breeding new workers. This is because food supplies decrease during this time of year. After winter, new queens emerge. These new queens find a warm place to hibernate. Their old nests are not reused.
After winter, a new queen wasp begins to lay eggs inside of her nest. These eggs will hatch into infertile female “laborers”. The worker wasps take over the nest building duties once the young queen has hatched. These workers will collect food for the queen and larvae.
