Ideal storage conditions. Low 40’s, air-tight container, dark area, NO moisture. Bottom and back of the fridge does the trick for me. Once a month I’ll check on them and pick out dead ones if necessary. Them little things hibernate like a bear. They just go dormant. (I’m not a biologist, I just hate wasting money on bait). Which works out really well come spring-time when the gills are hitting floats all day.
Kind of the same way a fly will remain in suspended animation when it flies into a cold window sill in the fall. My grandparents own an unheated pole barn in central Michigan. One cold February day (single digits). I found a fly. For fun I held the flame of a lighter about 2 inches away from it. After a few seconds of warming up, it reanimated and flys away just to cool down in mid flight and mayday. I did that a few times. Bugs are tough creatures. Seems their only purpose is to exist and they do a fantastic job at it. Junebug grubs are another thing that will outlive us all.
