Whenever we experience extremely cold temperatures locally, people ask if the cold weather will kill off the bugs for the following year. While this may seem like a reasonable assumption, insects have been around longer than humans and they have survived a multitude of weather and climate changes for millions of years.
Insects deal with cold weather in various ways, including the following.
- Migrating to warmer climates as the seasons change. Monarch butterflies are a good example, as they will fly south to Mexico and Central America to escape the cold weather.
- Developing a tolerance to cold. Some insects develop a natural antifreeze that prevents their bodies from freezing solid. Other insects survive as eggs, larvae or adults protected below ground or sheltered under leaf litter. Japanese beetle grubs are good examples of insects escaping cold weather by burrowing below ground.
- Moving indoors. Some insects find a welcoming winter environment inside heated buildings. Asian lady beetles, boxelder bugs and brown marmorated stink bugs are common pests that have found warm structures ideal places to escape cold weather.
Extremely cold weather may ultimately reduce some insect populations, but the remaining insects are capable of producing dozens or even hundreds of eggs, which allow the populations to rebound quickly as warmer weather returns. The bottom line? They’ll be back this year!
