It is only the females that have the capability to sting, which is near the tip of the abdomen. In the winter the larger queen wasp hibernates & then makes a wasp nest in which to lay her eggs in the spring. The nests are made from wood pulp with is moulded into the outer shell of the nest containing multiple internal chambers, where the eggs are laid. The queen feeds the larvae until the first brood of workers hatch. These workers (sterile females) will then take on the role of looking after future larvae, gathering food & nest building whilst the queen continues to lay more eggs. A single nest can produce as many as 30,000 wasps a year. Reproductive males & the new queens are the last to hatch & depart the nest to mate. As the weather worsens in late autumn, all wasps die with the exception of the new queens, which repeat the cycle, going into hibernation.
