Hi there! Have you ever wondered where all the colorful bugs go when winter comes? I sure have! A few years ago, I visited Florida and saw some amazing grasshoppers called lubbers. They were so colorful, and I was surprised to see them in December! Florida stays warm in the winter, so you can see insects there all year round.
Someone named Kylie asked a great question: “Where do bugs go in winter?” If you live in a place with cold, snowy winters, you might notice that insects like butterflies, ants, and bees seem to disappear. But where do they go?
Let’s think about frogs for a moment. I love frogs and used to visit a pond near my home to find them. In winter, the pond would freeze, and the frogs would vanish. But one day, I found a frog under a log, barely moving. It turns out frogs hibernate! They sleep through the winter in the mud. Turtles and snakes do this too. Some snakes even gather in a big pile to stay warm!
So, do insects hibernate like frogs and snakes? Some do! For example, ladybugs gather together in warm places, sometimes even sneaking into houses to stay cozy. But not all insects hibernate. Some, like monarch butterflies, fly south to warmer places. This is called migration.
Other insects, like praying mantises, don’t survive the winter. But before they die, they lay eggs that will hatch in the spring. So, their babies continue the cycle of life!
Insects have different ways to survive the cold winter months. Some migrate to warmer places, others lay eggs that survive the cold, and some hibernate by staying in warm spots. Isn’t that fascinating?
Thanks to Kylie for asking such a cool question! Remember, there are mysteries all around us, so stay curious and keep exploring!
Bug Observation Journal: Start a bug observation journal. Spend some time outside and look for insects in your backyard or local park. Draw pictures of the bugs you see and note down where you found them. As winter approaches, keep track of how many bugs you see and where they might be hiding. Do you notice any changes as it gets colder?
Create a Cozy Bug Home: Try making a small bug hotel in your garden or on your balcony. Use materials like sticks, leaves, and small stones to create a warm place for bugs to stay during the winter. Check your bug hotel regularly to see if any insects have moved in. What kinds of bugs do you find? How do you think they are staying warm?
Migration Map Activity: Learn about insect migration by creating a map. Pick an insect like the monarch butterfly and find out where it travels during the winter. Use a world map to draw the migration path. Discuss with your family or friends why these insects might choose to migrate instead of hibernating.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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(phone rings) – Hi, it’s Doug. What’s the most colorful insect you’ve ever seen? A couple of years ago, I visited the state of Florida, and I was amazed to see some of the most colorful grasshoppers I’ve ever encountered. They’re called lubbers, and what was strangest of all was that it was the middle of December when I saw them. Florida doesn’t get very cold in the winter, so you can see lots of insects there all year.
Someone named Kylie has a question about insects. Let’s give her a call now. (phone rings) – Hi Doug. – Hi Kylie. – I have a question for you. Where do bugs go in winter? – That’s a great question! If you live somewhere with cold, snowy winters, you might have noticed this too. Just a few months earlier, you could find all kinds of insects around you—like butterflies, ants, bees, and many more. But then winter comes, and they’re just gone, which is strange. It’s not like there are no animals out in winter; for example, you might still see deer or squirrels, and even a few birds if you watch a bird feeder. So, where do all the insects go? What do you think? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Well, I grew up somewhere cold and snowy, and I used to wonder about this myself. But before I tell you where insects go in winter, let me give you a clue involving a very different kind of animal: frogs. You see, I’m kind of obsessed with frogs, and one of my favorite places to visit when I was younger was a pond near where I lived. I’d look for frogs there and got pretty good at catching them, showing them to my friends and family, and then releasing them back into the pond.
But every winter, the pond would freeze over, and the frogs would disappear. It wasn’t just the frogs; I started to notice there were never any turtles or snakes in winter either. It was kind of sad for me. I missed seeing all these creatures I would find in the summer. One winter, while walking around the edge of the frozen pond, I was bored and saw a rotten log sitting there. Since I was bored, I decided to flip it over. As I did, I was totally shocked by what I saw. There, under the log, nestled into the freezing cold mud, was a frog in the middle of winter. It was just lying there, barely moving. Whoa, wait a second! The frogs were there the whole time?
That’s when I learned that frogs do something kind of like hibernation. They go into a long sleep in winter, burying themselves in the mud when it first starts to get cold in the fall. I’d heard of hibernation before but thought it was something that only bears did. It turns out it’s not just frogs and bears; turtles and snakes do this as well. In fact, some snakes will gather in a big pile, like in a cave underground, which helps them stay warm.
Oh yeah, I’d never thought about where the snakes went. So now, what about insects? Could it be that they hibernate during the winter too? I’ll be honest with you. When I first heard this question, I thought you might be disappointed by the answer because the first thing I thought of was insects like praying mantises. Praying mantises are one of many insects that, unfortunately, do not survive the winter; they die. While it’s sad, it’s part of their lifecycle. Every fall, praying mantises and lots of other insects lay eggs that do survive. So even though the adults don’t make it through the winter, by spring, babies will be born, and their lifecycle will continue.
As I researched more about this question, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not all insects die in the winter. I knew that some insects, like monarch butterflies, escape the cold by flying thousands of miles south to reach warmer places. They migrate just like many birds do. But what about hibernation? Are there any insects that can do something similar to what frogs, turtles, and bears do, where they stay alive all winter but just aren’t very active?
In fact, there are! Ladybugs are a good example. Just like the snakes I mentioned earlier, ladybugs will often gather together in a big pile in a warm place. Sometimes they even try to stay warm by sneaking into people’s houses. If you live somewhere cold in winter, you might notice ladybugs doing this too.
So, in summary, insects and other bugs have different ways of surviving cold, snowy winters. Some fly south to warmer places, others die but lay eggs, and still others are able to survive all winter by doing something similar to hibernation. That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Kylie, for asking it!
Now, for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and chose three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: why do people throw confetti? Who invented the alphabet? Or how is glass made? So submit your vote when the video’s over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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