How Do Insects Survive Cold Weather?

Insects are less plentiful in winter but they do manage to survive through the winter. The survival rate over cold periods can determine how bad pest infestations caused by insects are the following summer.

Insects generally have two strategies for surviving the effects of cold weather. Insects are cold-blooded and do not regulate their own temperature. This is a disadvantage to insects that want to warm themselves up but is also a huge advantage since their bodies can survive a wide range of body temperatures. Insects stop moving when they are cold: they just slow down, almost to a complete standstill. As long as they do not actually freeze, most can resume their activities when the temperature goes back up again.

Insects also go into a state of hibernation, called diapause to help them survive cold snaps. During diapause an insect becomes almost completely metabolically inactive. It cannot eat, drink, grow, or move for a period that can extend to months but it does not use any energy and so can survive for long periods of cold.