How Long Does a Wasp Colony Live?

One colony, one season

Unlike honeybee colonies, for example, wasp colonies do not persist across several years. A colony forms anew every spring and exists for one single season only — from the founding of the nest in April or May through to its complete collapse in autumn, so around five to six months in total. This applies both to the smaller native social wasp species and to hornets, whose nests can grow considerably larger but follow the same annual rhythm. The guide to the Swiss wasp season sets out the full yearly cycle.

The founding phase

It always begins with a single overwintered young queen, who builds a small primary nest and tends the first eggs entirely on her own, without any help from workers. The guide on spotting a wasp queen in spring describes how this start unfolds. Only once the first workers hatch, usually in June, does the colony’s actual growth phase begin, and the queen withdraws into her role as egg-layer.

The growth and peak phase

Over the summer the colony expands steadily, and if need be it will even move into a larger secondary nest when the original cavity becomes too cramped. In August and September it reaches its maximum size, often with several thousand insects — and at the same time its most aggressive phase, as the guide on why wasps are so aggressive in August explains in more detail.

The end of the colony

With the first cold snaps in autumn, the old queen and all the workers die within a few weeks, often as soon as the first frosty nights arrive in October. Only the recently hatched, mated young queens survive, by retreating individually to a winter shelter. This sequence is described in full in the guide on when wasps die off in autumn. The abandoned nest is never colonised again — the following year the cycle starts over with a completely new colony, usually at a new site. If you have an active nest during the season, a licensed professional can help via /wespennest-entfernen.