You may wonder why insects seem to largely disappear, over the winter. Moreover, what can you do about it, while you have some breathing room, now? Well, soon you’ll find out a.) where they go (share this with the kids), and b.) what to do before they return—this second part might be of particular interest to you if you spend a lot of time in your back yard, come summer, or if you have livestock on your property.
Insect Hibernation
Body heat and antifreeze are not words typically associated with insects. However, during the winter months, these tiny creatures get inventive with their survival tactics. Some of the strategies employed are unique to insects, while some of their approaches are instinctive to humans, as well.
Let’s start with the behaviors we can relate to. One strategy involves going south for the winter. You know what it’s like: February comes around and you think, “It’s still winter? And it won’t be spring for another two months? Gah!” So you do what you can. In valleys where the air gets stagnant, in winter, you drive to higher elevations, in order to see the sun. Or, if you’re lucky, you plan a road trip or book a flight to somewhere sunny, for a few days.
Flying insects such as moths, dragonflies, beetles, and butterflies also go south for the winter. In the case of the monarch butterfly, the trip south goes as far as California and Mexico. Migration takes place not only as a respite from cold temperatures. The trip also serves as a means to successful reproduction and a more extensive, widespread colonization—not unlike the purposes of humans. Spring break, anyone? We humans also typically honeymoon in places like the Caribbean or Hawaii, and we tend to retire in warmer places like Florida.
Another way we humans keep warm is through sharing body heat. One of the best ways to survive life-threatening cold, if exposed to the elements in a remote outdoor location, is via this method. The same goes for insects like bees, which keep warm by huddling together in a community living- space. Think of how people have traditionally gathered around a fireplace or the kitchen table—this is very similar behavior.
There are some cold-weather survival techniques unique to insects, however. One of these is called torpor, a state of immobility that temporarily shuts down the body in order to allow it to function at a reduced state of activity. Breathing slows down, internal temperature drop, and the insect may even appear to be dead. A longer-lasting state of immobility is called diapause, which also drastically slows the metabolism in creatures such as mosquito larvae—if, for example, the mother laid eggs just before the weather turned very cold.
Lastly, there is a protection that actually prevents an insect’s body from freezing by producing excess amounts of glycerol, which is a sugar alcohol that acts like antifreeze by lowering the freezing point of the body fluid.That almost sounds futuristic! We actually take a cue from the insect world by utilizing glycerol in industrial antifreeze applications.
Those are some of the major strategies that insects employ in order to make it through the winter. Hopefully you’re staying warm during these final weeks of snow and rain. It’s natural to want to stay warm and comfortable indoors, as long as there are wintry weather elements to contend with. Soon, though, it will be time to get your hands dirty in the garden or to fire up the grill for impromptu BBQs, once the weather warms up enough to invite your friends over. You’ll be outside enjoying nature again, along with the buzzing, flying insects among us.
How to Minimize Insects in Your Yard, Come Spring
The most attractive setting to mosquitos for potential breeding grounds is anywhere damp. The first action you can take is to get rid of any standing water on your property. Make sure any containers like flower pots, wheel barrows, or recycling containers are either overturned or have holes drilled into them, for drainage. Check receptacles such as tire swings and drainage pipes to make sure water hasn’t collected there and damp leaves haven’t accumulated. If you have any livestock on your property, make sure there isn’t any damp, unturned hay or straw in fields, barnyards, and stables. Also, be sure that water in troughs and buckets is changed regularly, so as to not become stagnant.
One method of minimizing the presence of garden pests like mites and aphids is to start dormant spraying ,,each winter—that is, spraying a dormant plant with a combination of horticultural oil and either copper or sulphur. You want to make sure that there’s absolutely no green growth on the plant when you perform dormant spraying, however, so as not to damage the leaves. Also, oregano and basil are both strongly-scented and a deterrent to garden pests attacking your tomatoes—not to mention wonderful additions to your garden recipes! Of course, there are plenty of chemical approaches to eliminating insects from your yard, but whether you decide to resort to these methods probably depends on how extensive your infestation turns out to be.
So what about you? What are some of your favorite methods for deterring mosquitoes, flies, and garden pests from descending on your yard, come spring? Share your favorite methods for minimizing the presence of those six-legged buzzing creatures in the comments below.
Bio: Troy Myers enjoys hiking, camping, and fly-fishing with his family.