Diapause -- What?!

Well hello everyone! Today's post is going to be a bit different. Did you know that insects are capable of something called diapause? What this means is that insects are able to alter the chemical balance of their blood and therefore live through the winter. They are, in short, able to almost change their blood to anti-freeze. How crazy is that?

Many insects do this: Grasshoppers, potato beetles, silkworms, and the monarch butterfly are just a few examples of insects that are able to utilize this ability.

So what happens when diapause occurs? The insects are able to slow down; the younger the insect, the more slow it becomes. For example, for a larvae insect, they will "sleep" or hibernate throughout the entirety of the winter. For more adult insects, they will have diminished need for eating and will stop growing. This is very important for them in order to survive the harsh winter climate. These insects will then live between the bark of a tree, in between areas of siding, or in your house. At the end of winter, once the weather remains warm, the insects will "wake up" and return to their normal state of living.

This is a picture of what monarch butterflies look like during diapause:

Wikipedia

Yeah, those lumps there would be the butterflies. They are huddled together during their time in diapause.

Hope you enjoyed this little update! More soon!