Whether or not wasps hibernate during the winter depends on the species of wasp. Some species of wasps, such as solitary wasps, do not survive the winter and die off. The adults lay their eggs in the fall and die soon after, and the eggs hatch into larvae in the spring.
Other species of wasps, such as social wasps, do survive the winter. In these species, the queen wasp hibernates through the winter in a sheltered location, such as a hollow tree or the attic of a house. In the spring, she begins to build a new nest and lay eggs, starting the cycle over again. The workers, which are female wasps, do not survive the winter and die off, while the males also die off after mating.