When Do Wasps Swarm in North Texas?

Swarming is a behavioral pattern many insects take part in. But different insects swarm for different reasons and at different times. In the spring, termites and carpenter ants swarm to mate and establish new colonies. Locusts swarm during the summer to feed on the crops produced during that time of year. However, wasps don't have a swarming season and can swarm any time of year. But if we were to assign them a swarming season, it would be in the fall. Here's why!

Why Do Wasps Swarm in the Fall?

When wasps swarm, it is usually to protect their nests from danger. If you get too close to a nest, they may think you're a danger to them. This will have them pouring out of the eaves of your home, streaming out of a hole in the ground, flooding out of a piece of furniture in storage, or emerging from some other nest location. And it will have you running in a panic to get away from them. This nest-protecting instinct can be a serious threat in fall as fall is the time of year when wasp nests are nearing their max populations.

Each year, the same thing happens. Throughout the year, wasps create their nests and begin growing their populations. By the time fall season rolls around, those wasps have had all year to reproduce and grow their populations and their young have had time to mature into adults. These adults travel to and from their nests as they go about their duties. And each time they leave or return to the nest, there is the possibility that they could run into you. This might be while you're in the garden tending to your veggies or when you're mowing your lawn. It could be when you’re taking your dog out for a walk or going out to check the mailbox. There are many ways it can happen. And the chances of it happening are increased in fall simply because there are more wasps buzzing around.

Another thing that happens in the fall is that some wasp nests get ready to die. Throughout the late summer and fall months, all of the males wasps work hard to ensure that the newly hatched queens are fattened up enough to make it through winter and that those queens leave their nests of origin and search for a place to overwinter. This might be in a hole, under the bark of a tree, inside a log, or under the siding of your home. Those queens will squeeze into any gap or hole that will keep them protected during their winter dormancy. Then, when winter arrives, the males members of the nest die off and the cycle is primed to begin again in the spring. During this repopulation process, the wasps will be especially aggressive toward any perceived threat as they work diligently to ensure the survival of their species. This increases the likelihood of an unwanted encounter with aggressive wasps in the fall.