Survival of the Warmest
Insects are cold-blooded. Without the ability to generate heat like mammals do, they must rely on other ways to keep from freezing to death. When days shorten and temperatures drop, insects begin preparing to survive the cold. They fatten up, stop moving, slow their metabolisms and live on stored energy until spring. Ants and termites retreat deep underground, below the frost line, and live on stores of food. Other insects survive as eggs or pupae buried in the ground or attached to plants. In some bee colonies, all the workers freeze to death while their queens burrow into the ground, often using old mouse nests. There, they eat stored pollen and nectar until spring. Honeybees, however, are more interesting and better adapted to the cold. Their workers survive by eating the honey they made during summer and fall. This allows their bodies to generate heat. Working together, the colony can maintain its hive temperature well above freezing.
Viewer Tip: Try looking for overwintering insects and you might be surprised at what you find. Excellent places to look include the soil, in leaf litter or on potential basking spots like dead trees or rocks.
Seasons: Fall, Winter
This information is provided by Georgia Wildlife Federation. For more information, visit www.gwf.org.
(Source: http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/bees.asp)
