Because of the cold winter weather that occurs in New Jersey, all types of wasps and bees, cannot survive the cold winter. Honey bees are the exception to the rule. Wasp nests will thrive if left unchecked during the warmer months.
In New Jersey wasp and bee nests will grow depending on food sources, the health of the queen, and the combined efforts of each of the colony members. As the end of summer arrives, food will become scarce. Once the cold begins to set in in New Jersey, the queen will leave the nest so that she can find a safe place to overwinter. She will remain alone until the following spring at which time she will emerge, find a new nesting spot, begin feeding, and lay her first set of eggs. Those eggs will become her first set of workers which will serve to build the nest and groom her so that the colony will thrive once again. In New Jersey, each year the cycle is the same.
YahooNews.com reported on 4/11/13 that a giant wasp nest has been found in an abandoned house in the town of San Sebastián de La Gomera in the Canary Islands. Reports are that police were called to the house by neighbors who complained of large amounts of wasps in the area. The wasp nest is 21 foot 9 inches and covers the span of the abandoned homes hallway. Experts believe that the invasive species of wasps migrated from Africa and are not native to the island. It is estimated that there are millions of wasps living within the nest.
The Canary Islands does not experience the cold weather that New Jersey does which is likely why this nest has been able to reach the size that it has. Nobody knows how long the nest has been in the abandoned house. Hopefully the nest will not immediately be destroyed as entomologists are surely interested in studying this amazing wasp nest.