Honey bee colony: years while it survives — wild colonies average about 1.34–1.53 years where they do well (Kohl et al. 2022). Bumble bee nest: 2–6 months, never reused. Wasp nest: one season, not reused. Carpenter bee galleries: reused for years. US managed losses: 39.9% in 2025–26.
How long does a bee hive last?
How long does a bee hive last? A honey bee hive can last for years — far longer than any bee in it — as long as the colony stays healthy and keeps replacing its queen. Bumble bee and wasp nests are the opposite: they are built in spring and finished by autumn, and they're never used again. The tool above gives the typical lifespan for five kinds of hive or nest, where that nest is in its year in the month you pick, and whether it will be reused.
| Hive or nest | Typical lifespan | Reused? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed honey bee hive | years, while the colony survives and is requeened; US losses 39.9% in 2025–26 | yes — beekeepers reuse boxes and comb | Auburn; UF/IFAS |
| Wild honey bee colony | about 1.34–1.53 years on average where wild colonies thrive; 0.6 years in German forests | the cavity — swarms prefer sites used the year before | Kohl et al. 2022 |
| Bumble bee nest | 2–6 months (usually 2–3) | no — but another queen may use the same spot | Bumblebee Conservation Trust |
| Wasp nest | one season | no | UC IPM; WSU |
| Carpenter bee galleries | years — the same tunnels are refurbished and extended | yes | Ohio State |
How long do honey bee colonies live?
How long do honey bee colonies live in practice? For wild colonies there are good numbers. In New York's Arnot Forest, studied by Thomas Seeley, only 24% of newly founded colonies survived their first year, but 79% of established colonies survived each year after that; recalculated by Kohl et al. (2022), the average colony there lived 1.34 years. In Wyperfield National Park in Australia the figures were 32%, 76% and 1.53 years. In managed German forests, survival was much lower — 10.6% a year, for an average lifespan of only 0.6 years (Kohl et al. 2022). Averages hide the long-lived colonies: when a colony gets established, it can carry on for many years.
Managed colonies have a beekeeper's help but face the same threats. In the latest US Beekeeping Survey, beekeepers lost 39.9% of their colonies between April 2025 and April 2026, after record losses of 55.1% and 55.6% in the two years before (Auburn University). If a colony faced a 39.9% chance of dying every year, it would last about 1.96 years on average — our own calculation using the method of Kohl et al. (2022), shown only to put the loss rate in perspective. Beekeepers keep their numbers up by replacing lost colonies.
Honey bee colonies: why a hive can outlive its bees
A honey bee colony is like a city whose population is replaced every few weeks. Summer workers live 15–38 days and queens 1–2 years on average (Remolina & Hughes 2008), yet the colony goes on, for three reasons:
- Constant replacement. The queen lays all season, so new workers keep replacing old ones; a colony in Ontario grew from about 7,000 bees in late March to more than 50,000 by mid-June (Otis 2023).
- Winter bees. In autumn the colony raises long-lived winter bees that carry it through to spring on stored honey (Otis 2023; UF/IFAS).
- New queens. Colonies "are regularly taken over by young queens (during swarming or natural queen supersedure), so that colony lifespan is not restricted by queen longevity" (Kohl et al. 2022). Beekeepers speed this up by requeening: UF/IFAS recommends replacing a queen every year to keep her laying at her best.
What does wear out is the comb. Wild colonies "do not renew their beeswax combs", which may affect colony development over time (Kohl et al. 2022) For the life of the bees themselves, see the bee life cycle and the honey bee lifespan calculator.
How long do bee nests last? Bumble bees, carpenter bees and wasps
How long do bee nests last when they belong to an annual colony? A few months. Here are the three most common cases around homes and gardens:
How long do bumble bee nests last?
How long do bumble bee nests last? "Bumblebee nests usually last between 2 and 6 months", depending on food, weather and species — Tree bumblebees tend to have short, predictable nests, while Common carder bumblebees nest for longer (Bumblebee Conservation Trust). Usually it's about 2–3 months, and "by the time you notice bumblebees coming and going regularly, the nest has already been there for at least 6 weeks and it might even be approaching the end of its lifecycle" (Bumblebee Conservation Trust). The bumble bee life cycle calendar shows each stage month by month.
How long do wasp nests last?
How long do wasp nests last? One season. "Normally, yellowjacket and paper wasp colonies live only one season" (UC IPM): a queen starts the nest in spring, it grows through the summer, and the workers and males die with the first serious frosts. Yellowjackets "do not re-use old nests" (WSU). In very mild climates, such as coastal California south of San Francisco, a few yellowjacket colonies survive for several years (UC IPM). If you need a wasp nest dealt with, call a pest professional or your local vector control district rather than opening it yourself (UC IPM).
Carpenter bee galleries
Carpenter bees are the exception among solitary bees: their galleries in wood last for years. A female "preferentially refurbishes an old nest rather than creating a new one", and galleries reused over the years can reach 10 feet (Ohio State). That's why the same boards are attacked year after year — see the carpenter bee page for bee-friendly ways to protect wood.
| Month | Honey bee colony | Bumble bee nest | Wasp nest |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Winter cluster | Queens hibernating | Queens overwintering |
| February | Winter cluster | Queens hibernating | Queens overwintering |
| March | Spring build-up | Queens waking | Queens starting nests |
| April | Spring build-up | Queens waking | Queens starting nests |
| May | Peak and swarm season | Queens founding nests | Colony growing |
| June | Peak and swarm season | Colony growing | Colony growing |
| July | Summer strength | Males and new queens | Colony growing |
| August | Summer strength | Males and new queens | Late summer: sugar-seeking |
| September | Raising winter bees | Males and new queens | Late summer: sugar-seeking |
| October | Raising winter bees | Colony ending | Colony dying off |
| November | Winter cluster | Queens hibernating | Colony dying off |
| December | Winter cluster | Queens hibernating | Queens overwintering |
Sources: Otis 2023; UF/IFAS; Mississippi State and UGA Extension (honey bees); Bumblebee Conservation Trust and University of Wisconsin (bumble bees); UC IPM and WSU (wasps). These are the same calendars used on the bumble bee and wasp lifespan pages.
Do bees reuse old nests?
Do bees reuse old nests? It depends on the bee:
- Honey bees: a living colony stays put — European honey bees swarm one to three times a year but rarely abandon a nest outright (UF/IFAS EENY-429) — and empty cavities are attractive to new swarms, which prefer "nest sites that had been occupied in the previous year" (Kohl et al. 2022).
- Bumble bees: "Bumblebee queens always start their own nest from scratch so once a nest is finished it won't be used again. However, the same location, such as a nest box or roof space, might be used again by a different queen" (Bumblebee Conservation Trust).
- Wasps: no — each spring's queen builds a new nest (WSU).
- Carpenter bees: yes — the same galleries are cleaned out and extended year after year (Ohio State).
A bird box used by bumble bees can be cleaned out once no bees have gone in or out for at least two weeks, ready for birds or bumble bees the next year (Bumblebee Conservation Trust).
Abandoned hives and old comb
What happens to an abandoned beehive depends on what's left inside. An empty bumble bee nest is a small structure that "will just dry up when vacated" (Bumblebee Conservation Trust); the old queen's body and a few dead workers remain, and the nest "will just gradually degrade and break down" over time. A honey bee nest is different, because it can leave combs full of honey:
- Other bees take the honey. Robbing bees invade abandoned hives "to take advantage of the honey stored in the comb cells" (FAO).
- New swarms move in. Swarms prefer cavities used the year before (Kohl et al. 2022), and are drawn to spaces in walls and decks (UGA Extension).
- In a building, get it removed properly. A colony in a wall needs a certified bee remover; once the bees and comb are out, seal the entry points (UGA Extension). Ask a local beekeeper or your Extension office for a contact. Don't spray bees or block them in.
How this tool works
- Managed hive: lifespan in years while the colony survives and is requeened, with the latest US annual loss rate (39.9%, Auburn University) and the 1.96-year average implied if that loss rate held every year (our calculation, using Kohl et al.'s 2022 formula capped at 10 years).
- Wild colony: survival rates and average lifespans from Kohl et al. (2022), including Seeley's Arnot Forest data.
- Bumble bee nest: 2–6 months (Bumblebee Conservation Trust), on the same month calendar as the bumble bee lifespan page.
- Wasp nest: one season (UC IPM; WSU), on the same calendar as the wasp lifespan page.
- Carpenter bee galleries: reused for years (Ohio State), on the carpenter bee page's calendar.
- Season: the month you choose is matched to the right calendar; Southern Hemisphere months are shifted by six — an assumption, as the sources are northern.
For how long a colony can survive on its stores, see how long bees live without food.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a bee hive last?
A honey bee colony can last for years as it replaces its bees and queens; bumble bee and wasp nests last a single season (Kohl et al. 2022; Bumblebee Conservation Trust; UC IPM).
How long do honey bee colonies live in the wild?
About 1.34 years on average in New York's Arnot Forest and 1.53 in Wyperfield, Australia, but only 0.6 years in German forests (Kohl et al. 2022).
How long do bumble bee nests last?
Usually 2–6 months, often 2–3 (Bumblebee Conservation Trust).
How long do wasp nests last?
One season; workers and males die in autumn and old nests aren't reused (UC IPM; WSU).
Do bees reuse old nests?
Bumble bees and wasps don't; carpenter bees reuse galleries for years; honey bee swarms favour cavities used the year before (BBCT; WSU; Ohio State; Kohl et al. 2022).
Why does a hive outlive its bees?
New workers keep replacing old ones and young queens take over through swarming or supersedure, so the colony isn't limited by any one bee's life (Kohl et al. 2022).
How many beehives die each year?
US beekeepers lost 39.9% of colonies in 2025–26, after 55.6% in 2024–25 (Auburn University).
What happens to an abandoned beehive?
Other bees rob any honey left in it (FAO), and the empty cavity can attract a new swarm (Kohl et al. 2022). A colony in a building should be removed by a certified bee remover (UGA Extension).
Should I remove a bumble bee nest?
Usually not — it lasts a few months and causes no structural damage (Bumblebee Conservation Trust).
For education. Bees are pollinators — never spray a swarm or a colony. For a swarm or bees in a wall, contact a local beekeeper, a certified bee-removal specialist or your Extension office (UGA Extension; Mississippi State). Follow your local apiculture or Extension guidance on varroa and colony care. If a sting causes trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat or faintness, call emergency services.