From Biology News Net:
Dance of water molecules turns fire-colored beetles into antifreeze artists
January 2, 2013 02:35 PM
Certain plants and animals protect themselves against temperatures below freezing with antifreeze proteins.
How the larva of the beetle Dendroides canadensis manages to withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees Celsius is reported by an international team of researchers led by Prof. Dr. Martina Havenith from the Department of Physical Chemistry II at the Ruhr-Universität in the journal PNAS.
Together with American colleagues, the RUB-researchers showed that interactions between the antifreeze proteins and water molecules contribute significantly to protection against the cold. Previously, it was assumed that the effect was only achieved through direct contact of the protein with ice crystals. The team obtained the results through a combination of terahertz spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.
Related articles
- Dance of water molecules turns fire-coloured beetles into antifreeze artists (nanowerk.com)
- As climate warms, bark beetles march on high-elevation forests (sciencedaily.com)
- Climate Change Will Lead To Insect Numbers Growing Substantially And Tree Deaths Rising Significantly (planetsave.com)
- Robin Rowland: Pine Beetles’ Move Up Threatens Western Forests: Study (huffingtonpost.ca)
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
Nature will always be one step ahead!
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The full article also says that these beetles are at least one step ahead of Antarctic fish which also have antifreeze:
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British Columbia forests have been devastated by the “pine beetle” . One beetle we wish would succumb to cold winters. Driving along the highway your first thought is forest fire, then you realize the mile after mile of dead trees is pine beetle.
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Yes, indeed; as the Related articles links say, the increase in this type of beetles is helped by climate change.
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On the upside – the dead pine trees have a beautiful blue tinged wood. At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver they built the roof of the speed skating oval from this blue pine; hoping to spark interest in wood from our dying forests.
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Yes, dead trees bring opportunities for other insect species, fungi, woodpeckers, etc.
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