This is a common question asked of World of the Insect staff, especially during the winter. Given their diversity it’s no surprise that insects and their kin have evolved many strategies to survive cold weather. Let’s look at a few of them:
Die, and be Reborn (sort of) – It’s sad but true. Our beloved mantises, stick insects, katydids and grasshoppers didn’t survive our initial bursts of sub-freezing temperatures. Or did they? While even the hardiest of these insects succumbed to the cold, the eggs they left behind will survive even the harshest of winters. This summer, the new generation will hatch and the ancient cycle will be renewed.
Stay Inside – Not going outside is a sound strategy for staying warm, for both humans and insects. When outside temperatures drop below 50 degrees (F) Honey Bees crowd into the center of the hive and form a “winter cluster.” Worker bees huddle around the queen at the center of the cluster, shivering in order to keep the temperature as high as 80 degrees. In what could accurately be described as team spirit, worker bees will rotate through the cluster from the inside to the outside so that no individual bee gets cold.
Go Inside – Human-made structures such as houses are warm and dry and are therefore great places for insects and their kin to spend the winter. Spiders are among the most common invertebrate home invaders though they’re not normally welcomed. Many spiders and other invertebrates overwinter in our homes, hidden in cellars or crawlspaces without us ever knowing. Recently, the highly invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs are settling in and have become a frequent autumn marauder of greater Cincinnati homes.
Go South – Many greater Cincinnati snowbirds head south for the winter. And so do Monarch Butterflies. Monarchs leave the tri-state in autumn and fly southwest to their ancestral overwintering grounds, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve located in the mountains along the border of the Mexican states Michoacán and State of Mexico. It’s a remarkable and perilous journey of more than 1,500 miles to the reserve. After spending the winter in the reserve the Monarchs will depart in spring but they will never cross the Ohio River again; it will be their 3rd generation descendants who return to greater Cincinnati to breed and give rise to a new generation of epic migrants.
These are just a few of strategies insects and their kin have evolved to survive cold weather. To learn more about these fascinating animals be sure to visit the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s World of the Insect exhibit.
Winton Ray | Curator of Invertebrates & Aquatic Animals
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