The striped cucumber beetle, for example, overwinters as an adult, emerges in the spring, and lays eggs near the roots of young cucurbit plants. The eggs hatch, producing larvae that emerge as adults later in the summer. These adults overwinter to start the cycle again the next year. In contrast, egg parasitoids like Trichogramma overwinter as immatures within the egg of their host. During the summer they may have several generations.
Insects adapt to many types of environmental conditions during their seasonal cycle.
To survive the harsh winters, cucumber beetles enter a dormant state. While in this dormant state, metabolic activity is minimal and no reproduction or growth occurs. Dormancy can also occur at other times of the year when conditions may be stressful for the insect. It is often better to consider insects as populations rather than individuals, especially within the context of an agroecosystem. Understanding the attributes of a pest population is important for good management.