Where Do Wasps Live in the Winter?

During the colder months, you may wonder where do wasps live in the winter. If you are fortunate, you may even have a colony of these tiny insects living in your home. However, most wasp colonies don’t make it through the cold.

Wasps may be active during the warm months of the year, but they aren’t particularly fond of cold weather. A lot of them die during winter, while others die from starvation. The best defense against wasps is to take proactive steps to avoid their invasion of your home.

The most obvious place for wasps to hibernate in the winter is under an old log or leaf litter. Some species prefer to burrow underground. Solitary wasps can also hibernate in the ground or in a pile of dirt.

Wasps can also build nests in attics, basements, and walls. They may build these structures in small areas, or they can fill them with thousands of wasps. If you see more than a few, it’s time to take action.

A wasp colony is actually composed of several queens, and several queens commonly get together to build a new nest. The queens are responsible for laying the eggs, and they can lay up to 250,000 per season. A queen can only produce these eggs if she’s fully constructed.

A female wasp will become a queen if she can survive the cold winter. This requires that she finds a warm, dry place to hibernate.