What Happens To Bugs In The Winter? Where Do They Go?

Where Do Pests Go in the Winter?

Depending on the insect, there are plenty of ways that these creatures survive the cold. Some wait out the cool temperatures in eggs, as larvae, or pupae, while others remain as adults and find ways to adapt and live on through the most chilling months.

You’d be surprised how many insects are waiting out the cold and how many have found alternatives to dying off. Here are five ways that insects make it through the winter.

1. Taking Refuge Inside Your Home

Much like birds flying south for the winter, some insects seek out warmer climates to wait out the cold. Butterflies and dragonflies head out once the temperatures start to drop, while other bugs take the bear approach, entering a state of hibernation known as diapause.

Unfortunately, overwintering pests have made it a habit of waiting out the frigid temperatures inside of your home where it is warm and food is available.

For example, Asian lady beetles, stink bugs, cockroaches, and rodents try to sneak inside homes via cracks or by hitching a ride on anything that makes its way indoors. You may not even notice they are inside until spring rolls around and you experience a hatching.

Or you may spot one of these pests scurrying across the floor late at night, giving you a frightful scare.

2. Withstanding the Cold

Believe it or not, some insects just carry on with life as usual. While many bugs cannot survive, the temperature plummets, certain ones can. Mites and spiders can tough out the cold, seeking shelter in the most frigid temps. Honeybees also hang around but stay in their hives, forming clusters to keep warm.

Other insects pretty much stay put and live off fat reserves. Mosquitoes, for instance, can go dormant and survive off a blood meal for months.

3. Surviving in Your Lawn

Insects can be resourceful when trying to keep warm. Ticks, for instance, don’t vanish in the cold. They tend to stay warm by burrowing underground or by seeking out warm, insulated spots to wait out the cold.

They will settle into leaf piles, in stacks of wood, and in other areas with built-up vegetation inside your yard. They can even use snow as insulation, making it tricky to get rid of them if you have not done proper fall lawn care to prepare for the winter.

4. Some Bugs Just Freeze

While some bugs try to insulate, others simply let themselves freeze. These bugs, like the Emerald Ash borer, will be completely frozen but remain alive. The glycerol in their blood acts like an anti-freeze that keeps their livelihood kicking.

5. Many Bugs Die Off for the Next Generation

Not all insects survive the winter in traditional ways. Some actually just die off completely, such as crickets. However, they live on by leaving their eggs behind.

For some insects, that is their primary goal in life: mate, lay eggs and die. While many adult insects cannot handle the cold temperatures, their offspring can. And as the warm weather approaches, the next generation of insects will be ready for the next round.