Oh, the weather outside is frightful – especially for bugs. During the cold weather, bugs adapt all sorts of protective measures to keep themselves alive throughout the winter. 

You may be thinking to yourself, “Don’t they die? Can bugs ever die?!” 

The cold weather can put a lot of insects in a life or death situation. A lot of them seek warmth from each other’s bodies or find places to hide during these cold months. But if you want to learn more about the ways in which an insect survives, check out the following information below. 

You can use this guide to understand how to protect your home against insects over the winter. By knowing where bugs go when it’s cold, you can help to your home pest control so that your winter does not get out of hand. 

Fortunately, you can easily control and reduce the number of insects in your home by understanding what happens to them during the winter. If you are having a pest infestation problem as these pests take shelter in your home, or if you have more questions about insect activity over the winter months, our friendly and experienced professionals are here to assist you!

Where do They All Go When it Gets Cold?

It’s true, during the winter you are the least likely to have any kind of bug invasion. While there is a significant drop in the number of insects you see, this doesn’t mean that they’ve died. Instead, they are just naturally reacting to the colder temperatures. 

This means that some insects migrate, others hibernate, and the rest…well, they do die. Here’s a breakdown of what can happen to certain insects over the winter: 

Migrating Bugs

Monarch Butterflies are an example of one of the species of insect that migrates away from the cold weather during the winter. While a winter butterfly may be a rare and beautiful sight indeed, most in the butterfly family have flown away to seek warmer temperatures. This is not so different from flocks of birds, such as geese, who like to fly south for the winter. 

Hibernating Bugs

Bears aren’t the only creatures that like to hibernate when it gets too cold. Some insects, such as the woolly bear moth caterpillar, have developed a natural “anti-freeze” capability which shuts down their bodies and puts them in a catatonic state for a few months. This prevents their bodies from forming harmful ice crystals and will actually help them survive in the warm spring months. Other bugs, such as common ladybugs, will pile on top of each other in a warm area. They are similar to penguins in this way, as they will seek soil or a rotten log and cluster together to keep each other warm. 

Dying Bugs

Some bugs do perish over the winter, and have not developed survival tactics which would keep them alive. These bugs do not die tragically, though, as they have already fulfilled their life’s mission, which is to reproduce and make more of their species. These types of insects, such as crickets, will lay their eggs in warm and protected areas before they perish. Then, come springtime, the new eggs will hatch, and the cycle will begin over again. 

What About Colony Insects?

Bees and ants are unique creatures in the animal kingdom. Fortunately, these two types of creatures have already built their own powerful structures that will protect them against the harsh winter elements. 

Bees stay inside their hive. Their only concern is the protection of their queen, which they do by staying close to her and protecting the hive against outside forces. 

Ants do something similar. They retreat underground, to the massive colonies they have dug out of the soil. They will become dormant, surviving only off of their stored energy. Much like ladybugs, the ants will cluster together around their queen to keep her and each other warm. 

Termites act much in the same way. Since they are a colony insect as well, they stay within their own natural habitat…which, unfortunately, consists of the wood in your house. Termites are hardly affected by winter, since they are warm and cozy among the wooden structures of your house. 

Some Insects Never Leave Your House

As scary as that might sound, it is unfortunately true. Wasps, bed bugs, and, as seen from the paragraph above, termites will seek shelter and lie dormant in your home. Fleas will remain on your pets, and moths will seek shelter in your closets. 

Other insects, such as cockroaches, flies, and mosquitos, will try to find the safest and warmest spot during the winter. Cockroaches are typically good at surviving outside, and mosquitoes and flies will try to get in your house.

Winter Home Pest Control in Los Angeles

At Signature Pest & Termite Control, we will do everything we can to keep your home bug-free, rain or shine, warm or cold. You can visit us online or give us a call at (909) 375-8923 to schedule a consultation, and one of our team members can visit you at your home. We look forward to meeting you!