Wasp Life Cycle Stages

The life cycle of a wasp can vary among different species, but generally follows a pattern of complete metamorphosis, consisting of four main stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The life cycle of the wasp is explained below:

Egg Laying Stage

The egg stage of a wasp’s life cycle begins in the spring when the queen wasp emerges from hibernation.

• She builds a honeycomb-like cell structure out of wood fiber. In each cell of the new nest, the queen lays a single egg. She lays around 200 to 300 eggs in a day.
• The eggs hatch into a larva in 5‒8 days. The larvae feed on the food brought back by the workers and grow into new worker wasps.
• After they have completed their first moult, worker wasps starts gathering food and building their nest.
• Towards the end of summer or the beginning of autumn, as the nest approaches its maximum size, the queen initiates the laying of the last batch of eggs. These will become future queens and unfertilized drones.

Also Read: Difference Between Hibernation and Aestivation

Larva Stage

The larval stage of a wasp is when the larvae hatch from eggs and eat other larvae and eggs in the nest. 

• Larvae are small, white, and grub-like, with no legs. They resemble maggots or caterpillars.
• During this stage, the queen wasp feeds the larvae with protein-rich food, such as spiders and insects. The larvae eat and mature, outgrowing their skin, growing a new layer, and shedding the old one. This process is called molting.
• After five growth-molts, usually two weeks later, the larvae spin a cocoon in the cell and enter the pupal stage. About a week later, the adult worker wasp emerges from the pupal case.

Pupal Stage

During the pupal stage, the larvae transform into adult wasps. The pupal stage can last for several weeks, depending on the species of wasp and the temperature

• As the larvae mature, they enter the pupal stage, during which they undergo metamorphosis.
• It takes 8-18 days before an adult worker wasp emerges from the pupal case.
• As the wasp pupates, it goes through a transformation process, growing legs, wings, and developing visibly separate body parts (head, thorax, abdomen) and eyes.

Also Read: Difference Between Pupa and Larva

Adult Stage

The adult stage of a wasp is when it emerges from a cocoon as an adult wasp. 

• The total time it takes for a wasp to go from egg to adult is approximately 28-48 days, although the length of time spent in each stage is determined by environmental conditions.
• Once fully developed, the adult wasp is responsible for:
  • Building and maintaining the nest.
  • Foraging for food.
  • Protecting the colony.
• Wasps can be up to one and a half inches long and come in a variety of colors including red, yellow, orange, white, and blue.
• Wasps continually grow their nests to house the rising numbers of insects in the colony. Nest of some species are large whereas some have have small and compact nest.

The Wasps Life Cycle consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The queen wasp lays eggs in a nest that she has built herself. The eggs hatch into larvae, which eat the food provided by their mother. After this stage, they become pupae and then emerge as adults, completing the cycle essential for the continuation of their species. The life cycle of a wasp takes about 40 to 60 days. In this article, we will learn about Life cycle stages, diagrams, and the role of wasps in a colony.