<P> Yellowjackets are social hunters living in colonies containing workers , queens , and males ( drones ) . Colonies are annual with only inseminated queens overwintering . Fertilized queens are found in protected places such as in hollow logs , in stumps , under bark , in leaf litter , in soil cavities , and man - made structures . Queens emerge during the warm days of late spring or early summer , select a nest site , and build a small paper nest in which they lay eggs . After eggs hatch from the 30 to 50 brood cells , the queen feeds the young larvae for about 18 to 20 days . Larvae pupate , then emerge later as small , infertile females called workers . Workers in the colony take over caring for the larvae , feeding them with chewed up meat or fruit . By midsummer , the first adult workers emerge and assume the tasks of nest expansion , foraging for food , care of the queen and larvae , and colony defense . </P>
when do yellow jackets go back to nest
during the warm days of late spring or early summer