How does the colony cycle of social wasps conclude during the autumn season?

The entire colony, including the workers and the old queen that survived the summer peak, dies off once the cold weather of autumn sets in.

The life cycle of a typical social wasp colony is fundamentally annual. It begins anew each spring with a single surviving, mated queen emerging from dormancy. While the colony experiences rapid growth throughout the summer, reaching its maximum size in late summer or early autumn when foraging needs are high, this structure is temporary. As temperatures drop significantly in the autumn, the existing workforce, along with the original queen who initiated the colony, succumbs to the cold and dies. The survival of the lineage rests solely with the newly mated young queens who enter a state of dormancy, known as diapause, to await the following spring.