# How long is the life span of a wasp. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346 "2013-07-01T14:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346/1 "2013-07-01T14:09:48Z")
This stupid wasp got into my teenaged son’s bedroom. We tried to spray it with bug spray, but it wouldn’t keep still and now we can’t find it. But we’ve kept the door closed, so it should still be in there. Can we just abandon the room for a few days and let the wasp die or starvation or loneliness or whatever? ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346/2 "2013-07-01T14:49:24Z")
Depends on the species 40 days or so > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346/3 "2013-07-01T14:54:10Z")
Bug spray doesn’t kill instantly. If you scored a direct or near-direct hit, it’s a pretty good bet that the wasp has died somewhere nearby already. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346/4 "2013-07-01T15:37:27Z")
Don’t be a pussy. Get in there with a rolled-up magazine and put that wasp out of it’s misery! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346/5 "2013-07-01T16:40:27Z")
If you can’t see it, it’s most likely dead already. If the wasp is alive, it most likely will be bumping against the windows in an effort to get out. Insects will generally try to fly toward a light source in a darkened room. Even if the wasp is alive, unless your son is allergic to wasp stings it seems like an overreaction to move out of the room for several days. I don’t know how many times I was stung by wasps as a kid and I survived. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346/6 "2013-07-01T17:14:20Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I I don’t know how many times I was stung by wasps as a kid and I survived. Yeah, but look what happened 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-is-the-life-span-of-a-wasp/662346/7 "2013-07-01T20:40:15Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Yeah, but look what happened 😉 That’s only because it was a radioactive wasp.