Insects pass out of our lives in winter – out of sight, out of mind. But if we stop to think, in order for any species to survive, at least some of its members must survive the winter.

Insects have evolved simple solutions to the problem of surviving freezing temperatures: They cease activity and seek shelter until favorable environmental conditions allow them to resume their life cycles.

Insect species that develop through incomplete metamorphosis, with the three stages of egg, nymph and adult, most often survive winter in the egg stage. Examples include grasshoppers and crickets.

Those species that develop through complete metamorphosis undergo four life stages: egg, larva, pupa and adult. While it is true that both immobile stages, the egg and pupa, offer protective coverings against the cold, there are some insect species that overwinter as larvae and others that overwinter as adults.

For example, the moths known to us as tent caterpillars overwinter in the egg stage. Their masses of shiny, hard, capsule-shaped eggs can be found encircling twigs of apple and cherry trees. Woolly bear caterpillars, on the other hand, overwinter in the larval stage, seeking shelter under leaves and grasses.

Of the insects that overwinter as adults, such as ants, houseflies, and ladybugs, most can be found sheltered in the crevices of tree bark or under cover, including crevices of buildings. Ladybugs cluster together, inactive, under leaves and grasses (or in our homes), while honeybees remain fairly active, eating stored reserves of honey and beating their wings to warm the hive.

And then there are the insect species that survive winter at the bottom of streams or ponds where they are protected from below freezing temperatures. Examples include dragonfly nymphs and caddis fly larvae.

This activity, a version of musical chairs, emphasizes how important it is for insects to find adequate shelter for winter survival. It is designed for groups of younger children, ages 6 to 10.

Materials

Chairs, two less than the total number of children

Habitat labels, one for each chair except for the woodpecker chair

Construction paper for lift-up flaps

Tape

Woodpecker picture

Music

Preparation

Habitat labels should be taped to the chair seats and covered with lift-up flaps made from construction paper. Examples of habitat labels include: in trees or logs, in bark crevices, underground, under leaves, attached to winter twigs, on the bottom of a pond, in a hive, in the garage. The woodpecker picture should be taped to the seat of one chair and covered with a lift-up flap.

The Activity: Shuffle for Shelter

Tell the children to pretend that they are insects. Begin with a discussion of the hardships of winter that they must face (cold, lack of water, lack of food) and why adequate shelter is important for their survival.

As the music plays, the insects move about the room.

When the music stops, each insect must find a suitable habitat (empty chair).

Once seated in a chair, the insect lifts up the flap to make sure it is a safe habitat.

Any insect that has no chair or finds the woodpecker is eliminated.

Remove two chairs, change the woodpecker picture to another chair, and repeat.

At the end of the activity, discuss what insects might live in each of the habitats.