Do wasps stay in their nest in winter?

Wasps are social insects that live in colonies with a queen and workers. As winter approaches, the annual cycle of a wasp colony comes to an end. But what exactly happens to wasps in their nest during the winter months? Here is a look at the winter behavior of wasps and whether they stay in their nest or abandon it until spring.

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Do worker wasps stay in the nest during winter?

No, worker wasps do not stay in the nest through the winter. Worker wasps have a relatively short life span and die off at the end of the warmer months. Here are some more details on what happens to worker wasps in winter:

Worker wasps have a life span of around 3-6 weeks during peak summer months. Their sole purpose is to build the nest, forage for food, care for larvae, and protect the colony.
As winter approaches, cooler temperatures signal to the colony that it’s time to produce reproductive wasps – new queens and males.
The existing worker wasps continue their duties while the new reproductive wasps mate. Once this process is complete, the worker wasps begin to decline.

Cold temperatures and shorter days cause the worker wasps to become sluggish and die off completely by late autumn/early winter.
By the time winter starts in earnest, there are no remaining worker wasps left in the nest.

So in summary, worker wasps do not overwinter in the nest. Their sole purpose is to maintain the colony during the warmer months and they naturally die off when winter arrives.

What happens to wasp nests during winter?

Wasp nests are abandoned and do not survive the winter. Here’s some more information on what happens:

Towards the end of summer, the queen stops laying fertilized eggs and the colony switches focus to producing reproductive wasps.
The worker wasps stop maintaining the nest and it starts to deteriorate.

Once the new reproductive males and future queens have mated, they leave the nest and abandon it along with the remaining workers.
The unmanned nest deteriorates over autumn and winter due to weather and lack of repair. Nests are made of paper material chewed from wood fibers and are not durable or insulated.
By next spring, the original nest has completely fallen apart and disintegrated.

In summary, wasp nests are not able to withstand winter weather and are abandoned by the colony come late autumn. The nests decay and do not survive the winter.

Do wasp queens overwinter?

Unlike worker wasps, new queens produced at the end of the summer do survive winter. Here is some more detail on how they overwinter:

Towards fall, the colony switches focus from worker production to creating new reproductive wasps – males and new virgin queens.

The new virgin queens mate with the males and then leave the colony to seek sheltered overwintering sites.
Common overwintering sites for queens include: underground in burrows, inside hollow logs or rock crevices, under bark, and in buildings.
The queens become dormant and their metabolism slows down, allowing them to survive cold temperatures on stored energy reserves.

In spring, the queens emerge and begin the process of looking for nest sites and establishing new colonies.

So while worker wasps and original nests do not make it through winter, fertilized new queens have the ability to overwinter in sheltered sites. They survive in a dormant state until spring, when the annual colony cycle begins anew.

Do other species of social wasps also abandon nests in winter?

Yes, the behavior of abandoning the nest in winter is common across most social wasp species, including:

Paper wasps
Yellowjackets
Hornets

These species all have an annual colony cycle where the workers die off at winter, nests are abandoned, and only new queens overwinter. Some key similarities in their winter behavior:

As temperatures cool in fall, they transition activity to produce males and new queens that will mate.
The workers eventually abandon the nest and die off as winter starts.

The mated new queens seek sheltered overwintering spots like underground burrows or voids in logs/rocks.
Nests deteriorate and do not survive winter weather.
In spring, the queens emerge to found new colonies and the cycle begins again.

So while different wasp species build different style nests (paper, umbrella-shaped, aerial or subterranean), they all follow a similar pattern of abandoning the colony and nest to overwinter through mated new queens.

Do any wasps overwinter in their nests?

There are a few rare exceptions where some social wasp species may overwinter in their nest. This includes:

Brachygastra wasps – A South American genus known to sometimes overwinter in nests. Small numbers of workers may survive with queens.

Polybia wasps – Another tropical genus where workers may overwinter in mild climates.
Hornets – There are anecdotal reports of small numbers of hornet workers occasionally overwintering alongside queens in temperate climates.

However, the majority of temperate social wasps closely follow the annual colony cycle of abandoning nests and overwintering just through mated queens. Tropical species may be more flexible, but even then worker numbers are very reduced in winter nests.

Why don’t wasps stay in their nests during winter?

There are a few key reasons why wasps abandon their nests during winter:

Nests provide little insulation or protection from the cold. Made of paper material, they would degrade from exposure to winter weather.
Workers have a limited life span and die off at the end of the warmer months. Their metabolisms are not geared for winter survival.

Reducing the colony to just mated queens makes it easier to find sheltered overwintering spots for survival and restarting in spring.
Abandoning the nest and starting a new one each spring allows the colony cycle to begin anew with optimal conditions.

In summary, overwintering in exposed nests is not a viable survival strategy for most wasp species. Only fertilized queens have the longevity and adaptions needed to survive cold winters unscathed.

What risks do wasps face when overwintering?

Although mated queens are adapted to survive winter, they still face risks during this vulnerable overwintering period:

Starvation – Queens may run out of energy reserves if winters are especially long.
Freezing – Extreme cold snaps can still be fatal, even for dormant queens.

Fungal/bacterial infections – Their reduced metabolism makes queens more prone to pathogens.
Predation – Rodents or birds may prey on defenseless overwintering queens.
Habitat loss – Situations like tree felling can destroy vital overwintering cavities.

These factors combine to make winter a high mortality period for wasp queens. Even in sheltered spots, only a fraction of mated queens are likely to survive through to spring.

How do wasp queens survive winter?

Wasp queens have specialized adaptations that improve their chances of surviving the winter months:

Increased fat reserves – Extra fat provides energy to survive months of dormancy.

Cold tolerance – Their metabolism can function at very low temperatures.
Hibernation ability – They enter a dormant state, only to periodically awake to move locations.
Disease resistance – Strong immunity helps combat fungi and bacteria.

Protective sites – Choosing secluded overwintering spots reduces risks.

These adaptations allow mated queens to successfully overwinter in situations that would prove fatal to other colony members. Even still, survival is a challenge.

What do wasps do in spring after overwintering?

In early spring, any queen wasps that have survived winter follow these key steps:

Emerge from overwintering sites once temperatures warm above freezing.
Seek carbohydrate energy sources like flower nectar and tree sap.
Find potential nesting sites – often in sheltered areas like tree cavities, underground, or under eaves.

Build a small starter nest out of chewed wood pulp.
Begin laying eggs and provisioning larvae as the first worker wasps.
Expand the nest as more workers hatch and begin gathering food.

If the queen survives and the weather cooperates, the nest will gradually grow over spring and summer, following the same seasonal cycle as the previous colony generation.

How do overwintering habits vary for other wasp species?

The overwintering habits of some other wasp species differ from typical social wasps:

Cicada killer wasps – Fertilized females overwinter underground. Males die off.

Tarantula hawks – Newly mated females find winter havens under loose bark or in hollow stems.
Parasitic wasps – Some species overwinter as larvae inside paralyzed hosts.
Mud dauber wasps – Mated females overwinter in abandoned mud nests.

Solitary wasps like these follow a broadly similar strategy of mated females finding protected overwintering quarters. But details vary depending on the species’ nesting habits and life cycle.

Summary and Conclusion

In conclusion:

Worker wasps and original nests do not survive winter. Workers die off and nests deteriorate when abandoned in fall.

Young, mated queens overwinter in protected spots like underground burrows or voids in logs.
Abandoning nests helps reduce the colony to just members that can survive winter.
Most social wasp species follow this winter behavior, with few tropical exceptions.

Queens emerging in spring start new colonies. If they survive, the seasonal cycle repeats.

So while wasp nests stand empty throughout winter, the future of the colony survives protected among the queens. These specialized wasps bide their time through harsh conditions until spring, when they can found new nests and rebuild their bustling colonies.