Re: 31'st update on fly longevity experiments

From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Tue Oct 10 2000 - 14:31:45 MDT


"Michael S. Lorrey"

> ...I know from personal
> experience that flies frequently hybernate in a frozen state in the cracks of
> logs and elsewhere. I've seen this from bringing into my parents house pieces
of
> wood for their wood stove that were frozen solid in ambient temperatures
of -10
> to -30 degrees F (not counting wind chill), and stacking them next to the
stove
> to warm up and unfreeze. Doing so causes flies hybernating in the cracks to
come
> back to life, and obviously annoy us by buzzing around once they recover. I
have
> also witnessed a fly, frozen in the crack of a stup of a tree, come back to
life
> as the sun rose and began to warm it above the freezing point. I do not know
> what sort of flies you are using, but the ones I refer too seem to be some
sort
> of wild house fly that is common to these parts, but I am no entomologist.

You don't need to be an entomologist to know about insect suspended animation.

Mosquitoes also winter over in a state of suspended animation. If they didn't,
one winter would wipe them all out.

Stay hungry,

--J. R.
3M TA3



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