Dawn Elser, age 12, of Letitz, Pennsylvania, for her question:

Where do fireflies go in winter?

The various fireflies are beetles and, like all their kinfolk, they develop through a life cycle of four stages. The winged adults that enhance our summer evenings live but a short while. However, they may be two years old when they hatch from the pupa stage. The first three stages of life are spent in moist, shady soil, more or less out of sight. They may spend one or two winter seasons as grubby larvae. 0r they may spend one winter in the larvae stage and a second winter as sleeping: pupae.

The adults lay their eggs during the summer. The eggs hatch in about three weeks. The hungry larvae have bullet shaped heads and bodies segmented with circles of stiff leathery material. They feed mostly on the eggs and grubs of other insects and occasionally attack snails and slugs. At the age of about two weeks, the larvae develop their light giving organs. However, as a rule., their glowing signals are not noticed because they stay hidden in moist debris on and in the soil.