Insects, whose body temperature depends on ambient temperature, often
take refuge under the soil surface to survive unfavorable winter
conditions. Considering the strategies used to cope with cold winter
temperatures insects are classified into several groups. Here we propose
a new group of insects with a previously unreported overwintering
strategy taking as a model the mealybug insect family. Using
specifically designed sampling methods we found that these sap-sucking
insects, which spend half of the year feeding and reproducing on the
plant canopy, move to the rhizosphere during the winter to feed on tree
roots and reproduce. Our results show that the preferred area to
overwinter for the main female mealybug species is within 1 meter around
a fruit tree trunk, where more than 25000 mealybug males per square
meter can emerge every spring. This unique adaptive strategy allows
these aboveground herbivores to turn into belowground root feeders
during the winter.