Where Do Bugs Go During Winters In Wisconsin

Have you ever wondered where bugs go during the cold Milwaukee winters? Well, even if finding out that answer hasn’t been keeping you up at night, the experts at Wil-Kil want to fill you in on where the bugs are and what they are doing. The truth is that what happens to bugs in the winter varies by species. Here are some of the common wintering tactics:

• Remaining fairly active throughout the winter
• Adults dying off and only eggs surviving
• Migration south to warmer weather
• Creation of fluids that act as a sort of anti-freeze
• Going into a dormant state until warm weather arrives in spring (over-wintering)

Ladybugs, boxelder bugs and stink bugs are all species that remain somewhat dormant during the winter, they are known as over-wintering pests. They can, however, be spotted crawling throughout your home on the occasional warm and sunny winter day. During the late fall months, they will enter into homes and other warm buildings and will hide in attics, basements and behind wall voids. This provides them with warm, safe shelter and, if needed, access to food sources. As soon a spring hits, they will move back outdoors to feed and breed.

Spiders are an insect that remain fairly active throughout the winter. They will head inside in the late fall and use your home as a vacation get away for the winter months. They will stay warm hiding in the dark corners of your home, building webs and feeding throughout the winter on other insects that have also tried to seek shelter inside of your home.

Other bugs like ants and termites survive the winter by going deep underground. When the cold winter weather hits, they go deep into their underground nests and stay well below the frost line. Both ants and termites live in large social colonies so they will all huddle together to keep them warm. They will also survive by feeding off of the food that they have stored over the spring and summer months within their nesting area. As a homeowner, you need to be aware that both of these bugs become very active again once spring hits. Since spring is just around the corner, you will need to concentrate on preventing these pests from getting into your home as they start to actively forage for food once again.

Insects “disappearing” in the winter and re-appearing in the spring is not part of a Vegas magic show, it is simply how each species has adapted to the cold weather of winter. If you would like more information about Milwaukee pest control and how to keep insects from causing problems in your home during the winter and throughout that rest of the year, contact the pest control experts at Wil-Kil Pest Control. We want your home and property to be free of bugs and other pests, no matter what the weather is outside!