Winter: the queen hibernates
Only new, mated queens survive the winter. They tuck themselves into sheds, lofts, log piles and gaps in bark. Everything else from the old colony has died.
Spring: a single queen builds
As it warms up, usually around April, the queen wakes and feeds on nectar. She chews wood into a paste and builds a small paper nest, often no bigger than a golf ball. She lays her first eggs and raises the first workers alone.
Early summer: workers take over
The first workers are sterile females. They take over building, foraging and feeding the young. The queen stays inside and lays eggs. The nest grows layer by layer, and traffic at the entrance increases.
Workers hunt insects such as caterpillars and flies to feed larvae. That is why wasps are useful garden predators.
Late summer: peak numbers
By late summer a large nest can hold thousands of wasps. The colony starts raising new queens and males instead of workers. With fewer larvae to feed, workers lose their sugar supply and turn to drinks, fruit and bins.
Autumn: the colony ends
New queens and males leave to mate. Mated queens look for a place to hibernate. The old queen dies, the workers die off, and the nest is abandoned. It is never reused.
- Spring: queen alone, small nest
- Summer: workers, fast growth
- Late summer: peak size, new queens
- Autumn: decline and death
- Winter: only queens survive, hibernating
European hornets follow a similar year
European hornets have a similar cycle, with fewer, larger insects. They often fly at dusk and even after dark, attracted to lit windows. We treat them for the same £125 as wasps.
The wasp life cycle: common questions
How long does a wasp live?
Workers live a few weeks in summer. Queens can live for about a year, including hibernation.
Do wasps make honey?
No. Wasps do not store honey. They feed larvae on insects.
Is an empty winter nest a risk?
No. An old nest is empty and will not be reused.