The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1902-03-29
THE INSECTS IN WINTER.

The myr1adS OF insects which creep
and crawl around in the summer time,
greatly to the discomfort of vacation
lists at seashore and mountain, disap-
pear in the autumn of the year, when
the leaves of the trees begin to take
on the brilliant colors which make
the glory of Our American autumns.
The mystery of their sudden exit
from the scenes which they have con-
spicuously occupied during the warm
months has only in recent years been
thoroughly understood, even by scien-
fists. Few of these creatures migrate
with the birds to warmer climates.
They either pass through another
stage of their peculiar metamorphosis
or crawl into the ground or under
stones and trees to hibernate.
The woods and fields are tenanted
in winter time with millions of crea-
lures which few know anything about.
They are sleeping away the cold
months, snugly slowed away in warm
places. Others, having laid their
eggs for future generations, retire to
some quiet nook and give up their
lives.
The mosquito fingers in small num-
bers until the last of October's warm
weather, and then dies, having de-
posted thousands Of eggs along the
banks of streams and sluggish ponds,
where they will be hatched out by
the early spring weather. The house
flies creep into cracks and crevices,
and come forth occasionally, even in
the middle of winter, to futter around;
but it is only the female fly that is
thus seen. The male dies with the
coming of cold weather, and the fe-
male hides away in some safe place to
hibernate. She sleeps all through
the winter, except on few warm
days, when she comes forth to exer-
else her wings, and when the days Of
a new summer return she brings forth
her brood by the thousands.
Likewise the wasps, bees, hornets,
and similar insects of the fields and
woods have practically died with the
coming of winter; but if one goes
forth in the middle of January on ex-
ceptiona1ly warm days he may occa-
sionally see bees or wasps futtering
around. These are usually the
queens, which do not die from the ef-
feet of cold weather. If they did
their whole race would be extermi-
mated. In them is wrapped up the
hopes and prospects of the whole fam
lily of bees and wasps. Fully con-
scious of this, the males in the fall of
the year take good care to tuck away
the queens in some wel1-protected
home under banks or trees, where
they can hibernate without fear of
danger.
Queen bees, wasps, humble bees
and yellow jackets may often be found
in old logs and trees in winter. In
splitting up rotten trees and logs in
the woods the alternating creatures
are frequently brought to light. They
look for all the world like dead insects,
but the warmth of a new season will
quickly revive them.
The great insect hosts can be di-
vided into those which perpetuate
their species by hibernating in winter
and those which die, after having laid
their eggs in the autumn. The first
class includes most of the noxious
worms, bugs and beetles. It is only
necessary to lift up old boards, stones
and trees on the shady side of build
ings in winter months to find whole
storehouse of these alternating crea-
lures. In these quiet places they
sleep all winter, practically freezing
stiff, and yet not suffering therefrom.
The only danger they experience is
that of alternate freezing and thaw-
ing. If they hibernate in some place
where the sun could reach they would
never survive the winter. The warm
sun of midwinter would often bring
them to life again, and then cold
wave succeeding would freeze them
stiff the second time. Such action
would quickly destroy their powers
of resistance, and death would soon
follow.
So all insects which hibernate select
some shadedplace. Even the eggs
and cocoons of insects are attached
to trees or buildings on the shady
side, where the sun cannot reach
them. They would suffer as much as
the hibernating creatures from the
alternate action of the sun and frost.
While bugs and beetles merely crawl
under logs, leaf mold, and stones to
hibernate, the grubs and earthworms
crawl down into the earth and hide
there below the frost line. They do
not emerge from their underground
home until spring has thoroughly set
in, its warmth reaching down even
as far as their subterranean hiding
place. The ants follow the grubs
and worms, and furnish winter quar-
tiers for themselves and their larvae
deep down in the ground. But the
ants frequently wake from their sleep
in midwinter and busy themselves
with their treasures. Their larvae
are placed in the lowest galleries of
their homes, and it is necessary for
them to keep an eye carefully on
these. They must be fed and kept
warm. So through the warm days
of midwinter the ants will bring their
larvae up to the surface of the ground,
to enjoy the warm rays of the sun, and
toward night take them back again
to the deep galleries.
The spiders are only half hibernat-
ing creatures. They do sleep good
deal through the very cold weather,
but they are easily disturbed in their
slumbers, and awaken with all of
their faculties awake. They do not