Most of them die. If you ask where wasps go in winter, the plain answer is simple. Almost the entire colony dies by late fall. Only the fertilized queens live to see spring. The part people get wrong is the picture in their heads. People imagine the whole nest packing up and relocating. Or they picture the whole family tucking in together to sleep through the cold. Neither happens. The nest stays put and empties out, and a few mated queens slip away alone to hide.

What Happens to the Colony When It Gets Cold

As the temperature drops and food gets scarce, the colony falls apart fast. The old queen, the workers, the males, and the larvae in the paper cells all die off through late fall. There’s no rescue plan. The cold and the empty food supply simply end them.

Why Most Wasps Die Before Winter

During spring and summer, a wasp colony is busy raising young, building its nest, defending its territory, and searching for food. As autumn arrives, that routine begins to change.

For many social wasp species, the colony’s life cycle is closely tied to the seasons. Workers spend the warmer months caring for the developing young and supporting the queen, but their lives are relatively short. As temperatures fall and natural food sources become harder to find, the colony can no longer maintain its summer activity.

So if you see a large wasp nest hanging from a tree or under the eaves in winter, it may be little more than the remains of last summer’s colony. The wasps haven’t all moved somewhere else together, and the whole family isn’t sleeping inside the nest.

For many familiar social species, the colony has simply reached the end of its season—and the next generation is waiting for warmer weather.

Share Your Experience

Have you ever spotted a wasp inside your house during winter, or found an old nest that seemed completely deserted? Share your experience in the comments.