If it seems like you always see more wasps when the weather gets warmer, you’re absolutely right. Wasps are most active in the summer. Their nests usually reach peak populations late in the summer and you will probably continue to see plenty of wasps well into fall.
The wasp life cycle follows the seasons closely: spring for preparation, summer for flourishing, and with fall comes a gradual decline. If it gets cold enough in the winter, wasps will die off. In a warm winter, they may not die off entirely. Queen wasps can hibernate until the next spring when the cycle begins anew.
As a pest control leader in the Southeast, Lookout’s experts witness this cycle firsthand. We’re just a phone call away if you need wasp control at any phase of the cycle – or if you have questions. To help you prepare for the months ahead, here’s the buzz on seasonal wasp activity.
Wasp Activity in the Spring
Springtime is the time of the year when queen wasps become active and begin to build nests. These nests are typically built from chewed-up wood mixed with wasp saliva. Yuck, right? Well, it makes a surprisingly sturdy home for them.
During the spring, the queen populates the nest with workers hatched from eggs she fertilized with sperm stored from male wasps called drones that had been saved from the previous mating season. These eggs hatch into infertile female worker wasps who assume the job of building the nest larger and creating new cells for the queen to lay her eggs into.
The queen will continue to lay eggs in the individual cells all spring and summer. The eggs hatch into larvae and are fed insects by the worker wasps.
Wasp Activity in the Summer
During the warm summer months, food is abundant, the nest grows in size, and wasp activity reaches peak levels. By July, there may be hundreds of adult wasps in the nest, with hundreds more resting in their eggs, slowly growing to become adults and workers themselves.
Adult wasps travel outside the nest to find food to feed the growing larvae. With hundreds of wasps per nest looking for food, naturally, you’re likely to encounter more wasps. So not only are wasps very active during the summer; there are also more of them.
If you want to know the precise day when wasp activity is likely to peak in the summer, just plan a barbecue. Whichever day you pick is likely to be it. Just kidding. Wasps aren’t necessarily out to ruin all of your barbecues; it only seems that way. Although, here’s something you should know: wasps have a keen sense of smell and enjoy the smell of meat.
Wasps Activity in the Fall
Wasp activity will likely remain high into September and October. Wasp activity begins to wind down when temperatures dip to 50° Fahrenheit. At that temperature, workers start dying off and the queen slows down her egg production. No new larvae mean no new nectar for adults. Instead, the last generation of larvae and eggs grow up and fend for themselves.
Wasps have to find foods with more sugar and fat than usual. They’ll fly further, stay out longer, and guard their spoils more aggressively to do that. In other words, the wasps you run into during the fall season are hungry and looking for food. Translation: don’t get a wasp mad in the fall. It’s probably already feeling a little angry.
Wasp Activity in the Winter
Wasps need warmth to function. When temperatures get to about 50° Fahrenheit, their metabolism slows down. Around 40° Fahrenheit, they lose the ability to fly. Many die off in the cold.
However, with recent warm winters, wasps may not die off fully in some areas. Their activity will decrease to a low level until the next spring when it ramps up again.
If it does get cold enough, queens of many wasp species can hibernate to survive and wake up again in the spring ready to build the next nest.
Call for Wasp Pest Control Services
There’s nothing fun about dealing with a wasp nest in the spring or summer when they’re at the height of food gathering and feeling protective. You shouldn’t have to deal with that, so let us deal with it for you.
At Lookout Pest Control, we’re always looking out for you, and that’s why we provide dependable bee and wasp control solutions.
For wasp nest removal, wasp control, or any other pest problems you’re dealing with, call Lookout Pest Control today for a free estimate.
What Seasons Are Wasps Most Active? in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky
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