It’s a known fact that most insects tend to disappear during the winter. The question is, where do bugs in the winter go and can cold weather kill those bugs? More importantly, will the cold weather exterminate them for a more pleasant spring? Here is what Holistic Pest Solutions knows about the winter tendencies of our creepy crawly pests.
To know if cold weather can kill insects, we need to understand what insects usually do during the winter. There are three main paths bugs can take to survive in Virginia’s cold season:
Diapause
Diapause is the insect equivalent of hibernation. Insects like beetles are excellent at stowing away in safe, warmer places to lie dormant until spring. They usually burrow into the ground, inside logs, under rocks, or in any crack they can find. Ants have tunnels that are already underground, which makes their survival an easy task, while many bees can stay in their safe hives for the winter. Additionally, some insect populations do not come from adults surviving the winter, but their eggs doing so in their place.
Migration
Some insects that cannot withstand harsh winters opt to relocate to warmer climates. Butterflies and dragonflies migrate south in large groups. However, the insects that return in the spring are not the same ones that fled during the winter. Once in warmer weather, insects reproduce and die, leaving their offspring to make the journey north when spring returns.
Seeking shelter
Insects that are not equipped to survive under cold conditions, can’t migrate or diapause tend to seek warmth wherever they can. In most cases, they find their way into homes and other places where people spend their time. Houses are a safe haven, providing everything an insect could want; warmth, shelter, and food. That is why it is important to be vigilant in preventing bugs in the winter from becoming guests in your home and making a really big nuisance of themselves come Spring.
What kind of cold does it take to kill bugs?
So how cold does it have to be for insects to start dying off during the winter? The answer varies from species to species. Some insects have evolved and have the ability to “supercool” or become frost resistant. For those who are not so lucky, when the weather drops below freezing, the chances of surviving are drastically lower. However, it is important to note how long the cold persists along with how cold the weather actually gets. Some insect species will die after a few hours, while others like termites can survive up to ten days in frigid weather. When we in Virginia have relatively mild winters, we see the termite issues increase. It’s rare that we have enough days in a row of really cold temperatures to kill them.
Long story short, excessively and consistently cold weather MAY eliminate the occurrences of more pests in the springtime. Of course, Mother Nature will make the call. We haven’t seen much cold yet, but there is certainly time in January and February.
CONTACT Holistic Pest Solutions if you need a free consultation for treatment of any pests; or give us a call at 434 842 1700. Whether you’re in Charlottesville, Palmyra, Keswick, Ivy, Crozet, Earlysville, Greene, Madison, Waynesboro, or Staunton, Holistic Pest Solutions has the perfect plan for you that is mindful of your family and our Earth!
*Our Environmental Commitment: Holistic Pest Solutions is committed to the preservation of our environment. Our goal is to nurture the soils and plant life of lawns and landscapes. Utilizing holistic pest control practices that cause the least amount of impact on the environment.
