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October 29, 2018
October 29, 2018 by Rosa Da Silva, The Conversation
Bed bug sightings are on the rise. In winter, they tend to move indoors to wait for the cold. Credit: (John Slaney / Flickr), CC BY-NC-SA
It's that time of year when the mornings are filled with crisp autumn air, where scarlet and ambry leaves crunch under your feet and where the restaurant menus are filled with everything the pumpkin contains.
We can welcome the panic of people knocking on our doors, but there are also unexpected and unknown guests who sneak into our homes: bedbugs, ladybugs and other insects.
What attracts these scary caterpillars to our attics and kitchen cabinets and in the space under our furniture?
Not only are the outside temperatures getting colder, but the days are getting shorter. Insects detect and react to these temperatures and light signals in anticipation of winter. It is an essential adaptive response because these insects are not able to cope with the cold.
Insects adopt some of the most creative survival strategies. As the Stink Bug Project Leader, I saw how the Brown Marbled Bug invasion has addressed the challenges of our colder climate. Moving indoors during the winter has promoted its spread in North America.
Head south or hold on
Some insects, such as monarchs, pack their bags and migrate to warmer climates. Others stay and brave the winter.
Those who can survive outside can enter a type of hibernation called diapause. These insects bury themselves in leaf litter, under loose bark and, in some cases, at the bottom of ponds or lakes that do not freeze completely.
The woolly woolly bighorn caterpillar produces an antifreeze that protects its organs and soft tissues in winter. Credit: (Mike Keeling / Flickr), CC BY-ND
The bodies of these insects will undergo biochemical changes. For example, some of these outdoor insects can withstand freezing by producing special anti-freeze proteins in their blood that prevent the formation of ice crystals in their bodies and, before the end of the winter season, tissue damage. . whole.
Remarkably, some insects such as the woolly bear caterpillar are able to freeze during the winter as they tolerate the formation of ice crystals in their bodies. They accomplish this feat by using alcohol-based molecules to control where and how fast ice crystals form in their bodies. This strategy causes minimal damage to their cell membranes and to their cells as a whole.
Then there are insects like brown marmoreal bug that adapt to the cold by seeking shelter in structures built by humans. This may include hiding in our garages, our sheds and, perhaps most disturbingly, in our own homes.
Insect roommates
It is not uncommon to find an insect or spider from time to time crawling in our homes. In the fall, it is more likely that you will be invaded by unwanted guests infiltrating your home through openings you may not know. With the approach of winter, these insects tend to stay put and stay indoors.
Western conifer seed bugs, box bugs, ladybugs, bunch flies, stink bugs and many others like to settle in our homes for the winter. As they do, they often secrete chemical signals called pheromones to attract more of their counterparts to the hibernation home party.
It can be quite frightening for homeowners to encounter a lot of insects that have settled for the winter. Once, I visited a house where there were thousands of sleeping bugs nestled under a couch under the porch of the sun.
Although these insects are unlikely to be a problem during the winter months (they mostly stay out of sight), you might start noticing them on warm, sunny winter days and, as spring approaches when the temperature and sunlight break the diapause of the insect.
Ladybugs wintering in a window frame. Credit: Gilles San Martin / flickr, CC BY-SA
It is at this point that the insects try to go out to continue their cycle of life in spring and summer more pleasant. As a result, it is quite common to see insects hanging on your windows, looking for a way out of your home.
Full
As the winter approaches, homeowners can reduce the number of invaders in the fall by performing some proactive home checks.
One of the most important things a homeowner can do is make sure that cracks or crevices from outside are filled. Check the spaces along the roof, doors, windows, and cladding panels, around openings of cables or cables that extend to the interior, and install an insect screen on the vents from the attic.
Even though it is still possible that some of these cold-avoiding insects enter the interior, these preventative measures should significantly reduce the number of unwanted guests.
Insects, however, are incredible organisms. They manage the imminent changes of the winter season by adopting many wintering strategies, which include, among other things, seeking refuge in a comfortable home.
Although increased vigilance could reduce the number of insects in our homes, it is quite possible that our roommates are here to stay.
And remember the next time you come home on an icy autumn night, it's unlikely you'll be alone!
Explore further:
Stinking insect traps work poorly during winter invasions
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