Do yellowjacket nests die in winter?
Yes. Only the mated queens survive. But an unsealed gap that held a nest is attractive to a new queen the next spring.
Why are wasps coming into my house?
Reviewed by William "Willy" Vizcarrondo, NYS Certified Pesticide Applicator (C1825832). Updated September 23, 2026.
Short answer
Wasps showing up inside, usually at a window or a ceiling light, almost always mean a yellowjacket nest in a wall void, soffit, or attic. Workers get lost in the void, follow the light, and end up in the room. Do not seal the entrance hole from outside; that pushes the whole colony into the house.
What's happening in the wall
Yellowjackets nest in structures as readily as in the ground, and Cornell IPM lists trees, structures, rodent burrows, and compost piles as typical sites. A queen finds a gap in the siding or a soffit in April, and by August the colony behind that gap can hold 5,000 workers or more (Cornell IPM). Some workers wander into the void behind the drywall instead of back out the entrance, and they follow the light to a window, a recessed fixture, or a bathroom fan. Find the outside entrance and you'll see a steady stream of wasps going in and out of one spot.
Why sealing it backfires
It's the most common mistake we see. Caulking or foaming the entrance traps thousands of wasps with one direction left to go: inside. They chew through drywall around fixtures and outlets and come out in the room. The nest has to be treated first, through the entrance or the void, and only sealed after the colony is dead. Cornell IPM also warns that pesticide sprays can agitate yellowjackets and make them more dangerous, which is why a wall nest in August isn't a DIY job.
On Long Island
Wall-void nests are especially common in older wood-sided homes and in soffits and roof returns on splits and high ranches across Nassau and Suffolk. The season to worry is August through October, when the colonies are largest and most defensive. The good news is the colony dies with the first hard freeze and only the queens survive, so once it's treated and sealed, the same void doesn't get reused unless the gap is still open next spring.
Related
Related questions
What's the difference between a hornet and a yellowjacket?
On Long Island the "hornet" is the bald-faced hornet, a large black and white yellowjacket with a gray paper nest out in the open. Regular yellowjackets are smaller and nest in the ground or in structures.
Can I spray the wasps I see inside?
You can swat the strays. Spraying does nothing for the nest in the wall and can stir up the colony. The nest is the job.
Sources
Still not sure? Call (516) 509-6001 and we'll tell you what you're dealing with.