Insects have had about400 million years to figure out howto survive cold weather and so far they've done prettywell. But this year's "polar vortex" may send many pestsinto survival mode.SURVIVING WINTER. Insects are cold blooded and rely on external sources to provide heat. Thus, they must tolerate freezing or rely on other mechanisms to avoid it. They are amazingly well equipped to deal with cold temperatures by being either freeze tolerant or freeze avoidant.Freeze avoidance happens when insects preserve the liquid state of their bodily fluids at low temperatures. They use certain compounds called cryoprotectants (similar to ethylene glycol found in your car's antifreeze) to lower the temperature at which freezing occurs in their bodies.
展开▼
