As temperatures drop and food becomes harder to find, most wasps in a colony die off. Unlike bees, which can survive winter together in a hive, many wasp species follow a different seasonal cycle that allows their colonies to begin again the following spring.

The worker wasps and the old queen typically die when cold weather arrives. Without enough food and warmth to survive, the colony gradually disappears, leaving behind the next generation of queens that have already mated.

These newly fertilized queens find sheltered places to spend the winter. They may hide beneath tree bark, inside woodpiles, in cracks, or in other protected spaces where they can remain dormant until temperatures rise. This resting period, known as overwintering, helps them survive the harshest months.

When spring arrives and the weather becomes warmer, the surviving queens emerge from their hiding places and begin searching for suitable locations to build new nests. Each queen starts a colony by laying eggs and raising the first generation of worker wasps. Once these workers mature, they take over much of the work involved in expanding and maintaining the nest.

By summer, the colony can grow significantly, producing more workers and eventually new queens and males. As the seasons change again, the cycle repeats, with most members of the colony dying while newly fertilized queens prepare to survive another winter. This natural process explains why wasps often disappear during colder months and return when warmer weather arrives.