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A new nest is starte each spring by a fertilized queen and contains only a dozen or so wasps to begin with. As the colony grows in size, the workers take over building the nest. A mature nest may contain 2,000 to 6,000 cells (larvae mature within these) and 1,000 to 4,000 workers.
A fertilized queen is the only member of a wasp colony to live over the winter. In the spring, she searches for a site to build a new nest. Then she makes 20 to 45 cells, and lays an egg in each one.
The first workers emerge a month later and take over the duties of nest construction, care of the young, foraging, and cleaning the nest. At this point, the queen no longer leaves the nest, and spends her time just laying eggs. The colony is at its largest in late summer and early autumn.
When the outside temperature starts to drop, the queen will leave the nest and find a warm, protected place to overwinter, usually under a rotten log. All other members of the colony die over the winter. Only the queen is left to start again the following spring.