Where wasps winter, do insects sleep in the cold season?

At the end of summer, annoying, everywhere scurrying wasps become a real problem for people. Insects twist ripened fruits, fly into the open windows of apartments, sit on sweet foods. With the onset of cold weather, their activity decreases markedly. What happens to insects after snow, where wasps hibernate?

Variety of wasps in nature

In the world there are a huge number of varieties of wasps. All of them belong to the order Hymenoptera insects having two pairs of wings. The sizes of adults are from 10 to 55 mm, and males are smaller than females. Their oral apparatus consists of strong jaws capable of tearing prey and gnawing a layer of bark from trees. A distinctive feature of wasps is a thin stalk between the chest and abdomen, a kind of aspen waist.

All insects belonging to this family can be divided into two main groups: single and public wasps. The former lead a secluded lifestyle, often build nests in the ground or not at all, preferring to lay eggs on larvae and spiders. Public or paper wasps are the usual striped individuals, with buzzing flying in gardens and parks. They live in colonies from several tens to thousands of individuals.

Lifecycle features of these wasps

Birth and nest arrangement

Wasps are not noticeable in winter and early spring, but with the onset of steady heat, the first scouts fly out. These are future uterus, which since last fall have stored in their bodies the sperm of the males that fertilized them. Insects are looking for the first flowers to eat nectar. The young female has to fulfill the main function of her life - to give rise to a new family. She finds a suitable place and begins the construction of the nest. The material is chewed tree bark, abundantly moistened with saliva. After drying, the substance becomes like thick paper.

Breeding

The future queen builds honeycombs, in whose cells she lays eggs. After a few days, carnivorous larvae appear that require meat food. During this period, the female is actively engaged in the destruction of tree pests, they serve as food for growing larvae. The first wasps are sterile females, they will help the uterus to care for the next generation and build a nest.

In August and September, young uterus and males will appear, ready to mate for breeding. After fertilization of the females, most males die. Old queens who have lost the ability to lay eggs will not survive the second winter. They will die along with working individuals. Among the many types of paper wasps, there are females whose life cycle is 2-4 years. They fall into a state of winter sleep several times.

Information. What do wasps eat in winter? Before the onset of cold weather, females try to accumulate more nutrients in the body. After immersion in diapause, they become so passive that they survive the winter due to accumulated substances.

How do wasps winter in nature?

In autumn, with a decrease in daylight hours and a decrease in the temperature of the uterus, wasps begin to seek refuge. The best choice is to dig deeper under the bark of a tree. It is warmer and harder for birds to get.Females can hide in old stumps, under a pile of fallen leaves, and hide in the crevices of farm buildings. Insect lovers are wondering - wasps sleep in winter or not? In a period when insects cannot satisfy their needs, they fall into a state of inhibition.

Metabolism practically freezes, the body becomes insensitive to low temperatures. In the body of wintering queens, a component is produced that is similar in properties to antifreeze. It helps wasps survive frosts. For a successful awakening, the absence of sharp fluctuations in temperature is important. Untimely warming is fatal to females. The chemical composition of the cells changes, due to which, with subsequent cooling, the mechanism that prevents crystallization of the liquid is lost.

Information. At abnormally low temperatures, which are uncharacteristic of temperate latitudes, body cells crystallize. This irreversible process leads to the death of the uterus.

The dangers of wintering

Not all uterus will be able to meet spring. While they sleep, bending their legs and wings, they are in danger of animals and birds left to winter in the forests. These natural enemies of wasps find and eat insects.

Interesting fact. Over the summer period, the colony wasps rebuilds a large nest with protective shells and low thermal conductivity. But insects do not remain to winter in their house, they never return to it.

Preventive measures against annoying neighbors

Paper wasps are troublesome neighbors. They spoil the fruit on the trees, bite people, stubbornly climb on sweet food. To reduce the likelihood of their settlement near the house or under its roof, it is advisable to destroy the nest. Knowing what wasps do in the winter, you can safely cut the structure and burn it. At this time, you do not risk getting a sting insect bite. Females do not settle in the old nest, but build a new one in the usual place. If you treat the site where the building was located, with an unpleasant smelling compound (kerosene, engine oil, dichlorvos), then the uterus will fly away to look for a more suitable shelter.

To deprive the wintering wasps of shelter on the site, some work should be done:

• collect and burn dry foliage;
• remove rotten stumps, cut trees;
• do not leave boards, slate sheets on the ground, under them insects seek refuge for the winter;
• pour compost heaps with boiling water;
• you can start preparing material for traps that will be necessary to protect the crop.

Fighting stinging insects after the onset of cold weather is absolutely safe. They are in a state of diapause until April-May. Only with the onset of heat (+14⁰) The uterus will wake up and begin to create a new colony. Preventive measures will help reduce the number of insects that survived until spring.