Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Bye-Bye Beetles (?)

As may be often the case with barely stocked waters, I had oodles of whirlygig beetles in my new pond this Summer. I have been surprised this Fall to see them quite active even with air and water temps below 40 degrees F. Being aquatic, I imagine they have stayed mostly submerged during (relatively) brief periods with air temperatures below freezing and then come back up to the top of the pond when it warms the next day.

But the pond froze over 2 nights ago and has stayed frozen since then. Yesterday afternoon I observed thousands of whirlygigs moving excruciatingly s-l-o-w-l-y on the bottom of the ice, perhaps trying to gain access to the surface for fresh air. I saw one and only one put on a burst of speed that moved it all of 3 or 4 inches in a second - still much, much slower than their normal velocity.

Does anyone know if they are doomed to suffocate under the ice, or if they hibernate in the pond bottom somehow?

Nature usually has a way of taking care of her own,but other than that,I would have a clue.

Theo, from what I can tell Whirilgig "larva" do have gills and can breathe under water, the adults I am not sure about.

The adults spend a lot of time on the surface, but submerge and hide in the bottom litter readily. I have been assuming they are one of the bugs that trap an air bubble, like under their wing covers, for underwater use.