Bugs survive winter by using various strategies depending on the species. They do not all just disappear but find ways to endure the cold:
- Many insects migrate to warmer climates or areas nearby, such as sheds, basements, or garages.
- Others enter a hibernation-like state called diapause, where they reduce their body temperature and water content, sometimes producing antifreeze compounds like glycerol to avoid freezing.
- Some bugs overwinter in specific life stages: as eggs, larvae, pupae, or adults sheltered in leaf litter, soil, under bark, or inside protected places.
- Certain insects, like honey bees, cluster in hives to keep warm, and queen wasps seek out warm places to spend winter.
- Some bugs, like June bug larvae, burrow deep into soil and pupate during winter.
- Ladybugs often hibernate in groups in warm outdoor spots or inside structures.
- Pests like ants stay inactive deep underground, and cockroaches seek warm indoor locations.
- Some butterflies migrate to warmer places to survive winter.
In general, bugs seek warmth and protection to survive through winter until temperatures rise again in spring.
