{"id":11509,"date":"2022-07-06T16:29:36","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T21:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=11509"},"modified":"2023-11-02T04:32:42","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T09:32:42","slug":"how-long-do-wasps-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/how-long-do-wasps-live\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long Do Wasps Live?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wasps are a common sight<\/a> throughout spring, summer, and fall, but have you ever wondered about their life? How long do wasps live? What is their life cycle? How do they reproduce? Keep reading to find out the answers to all of these questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Long Do Wasps Live?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are over 30,000 species of wasp in the world, and as you might imagine, lifespans vary from species to species. That said, many wasps have similar lifespans regardless of their species, and the length of time they survive may have more to do with various environmental factors.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, bad weather can destroy wasp colonies and kill many of the wasps prematurely. Various insects and animals hunt and eat wasps, so their lives are in nearly constant peril throughout their adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two broad categories of wasps: social wasps and solitary wasps. Social wasps live in large colonies, while solitary wasps do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the purpose of this article, we\u2019re going to focus on social wasps, as the lifespans of solitary wasps vary much more widely. Social wasps have fairly consistent lifespans, though how long each individual wasp lives depends on whether it is a queen, worker, or drone.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at each of these in turn and discuss the average lifespan for each one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Queen wasps are the fertile females of the colony. They are the only ones capable of reproduction because they produce a pheromone that prevents the reproductive organs of other females from fully developing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queens go into hibernation each fall after being fertilized. The following spring, they begin building their nest and lay eggs; this first batch of eggs hatches, matures, and assists the queen with building the nest and raising her larvae.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each fall, new queens are chosen and fertilized. These new queens go into hibernation and begin the cycle anew, while the old queens die off with the rest of the colony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in most cases, queen wasps live for about a year.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this video to see how potter wasp queens build their nests<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fY6m89lLyrs<\/a>