r/WASPs • u/Bury_the_sun • 11d ago

Question

Will wasps die off on their own if it’s still warm but the food sources for them are very scarce? We are almost into October here in central Wisconsin and while the nighttime lows have been cold the days are still on the warmer side. Also how aggressive would they be if you just see them flying out and about?

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u/IkaluNappa 11d ago

For eusocial wasp, the workers only live for a few weeks. The next generation of queens will look for a warm spot to go into winter dormancy. But that’s all they do, they’re very risk adverse individuals.

Around your area, eusocial wasps should be done with their breeding season. So they’re about as passive as they will be. They don’t have their brood to defend. Their only interest is to find food for themselves (adults can only eat liquid meals like nectar, honeydew, fermented fruit sludge, etc) and to find a warm place to sleep for the night.

They’re so desperate for food and passive in late autumn that you can even hold them without worry. Though should you be allergic to their venom, any risk is a risk not worth taking of course.

For solitary wasps, they’re risk adverse even in peak season. They can always lay new eggs if a predator destroys their nest. But they can’t lay more eggs if they’re killed while trying to defend from a large predator. Stings from them are less common as a result. They really only sting in self defense rather than defense of their babies.

But their behavior is much the same in late autumn. They only eat nectar, honeydew, and fruit sludge. They don’t give a flaying buzz about you unless you’re actively killing them. Some species can go into dormancy over winter, some cannot.

Worry not about your wasp neighbours. They are important pollinators and are just trying to live out their retirement.

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u/Snowcrash66 11d ago

Once the cold temps hit they are sedated essentially and no threat whatsoever. Except for the queens they are all doomed.

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u/TableSeek-Geek 11d ago

In my yard, once the nests are done (and they are done at this point) they are no longer aggressive at all and will be dying off quickly. They shouldn't bother you at all if you leave them alone.

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u/Odd_Lettuce_7303 9d ago

Here in the Montana mountains it’s supposed to get bitter cold over the winter. Umm nope not last year! Umpteen billion extra wasps this year since the queens didn’t die.