Do wasps stay in nest over winter?

Wasps are social insects that live in colonies with one or more queens. As winter approaches, most of the colony dies off except for the fertilized queens. The queens will find sheltered spots to overwinter and emerge in spring to start new colonies.

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Do worker wasps die in winter?

Yes, in temperate climates, worker wasps die off over the winter. Only the fertilized queens survive by finding protected places to wait out the cold weather. Here’s an overview of what happens to wasp colonies in winter:

In late summer/autumn, the queen stops producing fertilized eggs and the colony shifts focus to producing new queens and males for mating.
The new queens and males mate. The males then die off as they do not participate in overwintering.
The fertilized new queens leave the nest to find sheltered spots, like hollow logs, under bark, or in leaf litter to overwinter.

The old queen, workers and unfertilized new queens remain in the colony until cold weather sets in. They do not survive the winter.

So in summary, the worker wasps and old queen do not stay in the nest over winter. They die off as temperatures drop. Only the newly fertilized queens survive by dispersing and finding protected spots to overwinter. The original nest is left vacant over the winter months.

Where do wasp queens overwinter?

Wasp queens overwinter in protected spaces like:

Hollow logs or cavities in trees
Under loose bark
In abandoned rodent burrows underground

In sheds, attics or barns
Inside dense brush or leaf litter
Buried slightly underground

They seek out places that provide insulation from extreme cold. The key requirements are darkness, stable above-freezing temperatures, and humidity. Being underground helps buffer external temperature changes.

In very cold climates, some species like yellowjackets will overwinter in groups in sheltered spots like attics. They enter a dormant state but benefit from communal body warmth.

How do wasp queens survive the winter?

Wasp queens have adapted both behaviorally and physiologically to survive winter:

Fat reserves – They build up fat reserves to live off over the winter when food is scarce.
Mated status – Only fertilized queens overwinter. Mating provides cues for the physiological changes needed.
Cold tolerance – They can survive at colder temperatures than other colony members.

Hibernation – Their metabolism and activity levels slow down to conserve energy.
Antifreeze compounds – Special compounds in their blood prevent freezing.

These adaptations allow the queens to live through months of cold in a dormant, energy-conserving state until warm weather returns.

Do wasp nests survive the winter?

No, wasp nests do not survive the winter. Since the colonies die off except for the new queens, the abandoned nests break down over the winter months. Here are some reasons wasp nests do not survive:

They are made of paper material chewed from weathered wood pulp. This material is fragile and breaks down when exposed to moisture and wind.
No colony members remain to do repair work on the nest once the colony dies off.

The nests are built for summer use only and are too airy and thin to provide winter insulation.
Abandoned nests are often invaded by scavengers who tear them apart seeking food.
The nests are only built to last for one season of use.

By late winter, most vacant wasp nests have been battered into nonexistence by the elements and wildlife activity. Any remaining bits of nest get cleaned up by spring rains and winds.

What happens when a wasp queen emerges in spring?

Here’s an overview of what happens when wasp queens emerge from overwintering in early spring:

She will be sluggish after months of inactivity. It takes some time for her metabolism to increase back to normal levels.

Her first priority is finding food. Early spring flowers and tree sap provide carbohydrates she needs for energy.
The queen begins searching for a nesting site, often returning to where she originally nested the prior year.
She builds a small paper nest and starts laying eggs.

The eggs that hatch are sterile female workers. They take over expanding the nest and caring for more eggs laid by the queen.
The colony grows over summer, reaching a peak size of a few hundred to several thousand members in late summer.
In fall, reproductives are produced and the cycle begins again with new queens overwintering.

The overwintered queen kickstarts the entire colony by herself. Her sole purpose is to successfully start a new nest in which to lay fertilized eggs.

Do any wasps stay active in winter?

Most species of social wasps die off in winter, but some wasp species remain active as adults year-round or overwinter as larvae. Here are some exceptions where wasps may be found in winter:

German yellowjackets – Overwinter as adults clustered inside protected voids like wall cavities or attics.

Paper wasps – Some tropical species are active year-round where winters are mild.
Cuckoo wasps – Remain active as adults to parasitize other insect hosts.
Braconid wasps – Overwinter as larvae inside caterpillars, finishing development in spring.

Ichneumonid wasps – Overwinter as larvae inside tree trunks, emerging as adults in spring.

So while most wasp species do die off or become dormant in winter, some species have adapted ways to remain active either as adults or developing larvae.

Do wasps hibernate?

Wasps do not truly hibernate in the winter like some mammals do. However, wasp queens enter a dormant state that shares some similarities with hibernation:

Their metabolic rate strongly decreases but they are not fully dormant like in true hibernation.
Their body temperature drops but stays above freezing, unlike mammals that experience deep drops in body temperature.
They do not feed or drink water and live off fat reserves accumulated in the fall.

They shelter in insulated spots but will sometimes wake and move locations if conditions change.

So while wasp queens become inactive and conserve energy over winter, they remain marginally alert and mobile if needed. Their dormancy is lighter than the deep torpor seen in mammalian hibernation.

Conclusion

In summary, most wasp workers and old queens do not stay in the nest over winter. They die off as the colony declines at the end of summer. Only the newly fertilized queens survive by dispersing and sheltering in protected spots, where they enter a dormant, energy-conserving state until spring. The original nest is abandoned and gradually disintegrates over the winter months without colony members to maintain it.