As we all know over winter many animals go into hiding. Some mammals hibernate, whereas some insects die off and wait for their eggs to hatch in spring. But what exactly do wasps and hornets do during the colder weather?
First off it’s important to note that wasps and hornets are different creatures. Wasps are a lot smaller, and tend to be fairly docile unless they feel under attack, whereas hornets are much larger, and are usually on the more aggressive side. Wasps are also a lot more common than hornets, the most common wasp being the Yellow Jacket Wasp. Seeing a hornet in the UK is a very rare occurrence, they prefer warmer climates, however occasionally during the hotter summers we have hornets will migrate over from parts of Europe. If you’re lucky (or unlucky) enough to see a hornet, it will most likely be a European Hornet or a Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet.
The simple answer to what wasps and hornets do over winter is that a lot of them die off. However this is not due to the cold weather, but due to a lack of food. So theoretically if a wasp or hornet colony were to nest near a source of food that wouldn’t disappear over winter then they would continue to live and operate as a colony. Not all of the wasps and hornets will die off though, the queens will go into hibernation and often hide in crevices and sheltered areas.
The queen wasp or hornet will often come out of hibernation early if we have a mild or warmer winter. Once they come out of hibernation they will look for a suitable nesting site nearby to start building their hive and lay their eggs.
So far we have had a very mild winter in the UK, if you notice wasps or hornets nesting near to your property contact us and we can remove the nest and give advice on prevention.
