Sunday, February 21, 2010

Where do insects go in the Winter?



In general, insects are able to survive cold temperatures easiest when the temperatures are stable, not fluctuating through alternate thaws and freezes. Many insects gain shelter and nourishment through the winter in a variety of micro-habitats, including harboring around, in, and under our homes. In these micro-habitats, it seldom gets below freezing. For instance, crawl spaces stay extremely comfortable throughout the winter, even on the coldest of days.
Additionally, insects use a variety of methods for surviving the extreme cold. They include migration, hibernating and overwintering as larvae, nymphs, eggs, pupae or adults. Other pest, like mice for instance thrive in the winter. Some insects produce a natural type of antifreeze called glycerol protecting them to temperatures of up to 100 below zero. Even after the harshness this winter, when temperatures got just a little warmer the very next week, ants were back on the move. Not surprisingly, insects are extremely resourceful and have evolved a number of strategies to deal with the rigors of winter temperatures.

2 comments:

  1. This blog is plagiarized from the last paragraph of the following:

    http://www.si.edu/encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/winter.htm

    Shame on you. This is copyright infringement!

    ReplyDelete
  2. very interesting topic you opened up in you article, informative and a learning method to individual that are not aware to this behavior of this pests. Thanks!

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    ReplyDelete