Until now, very little is known about the ability of adult and deutonymph water mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia) to survive in sub-zero temperatures. Information concerns mainly water mites from vernal astatic waters, and the knowledge has never been experimentally verified. To determine the sensitivity of water mites to freezing, experiments were conducted on (1) the impact of acclimatization, (2) temperature, and (3) duration of freezing on survival, (4) the survival rate of water mites from various types of water bodies, and (5) the survival rate of water mites from different climatic zones. The experiments were carried out in a phytotron chamber, and water mites were placed in containers (10 × 10 × 5 cm) filled with 4/5 of water for 10 specimens each. Water mites were identified to the species level after finishing the experiments. The temperature was lowered 1 °C every hour until the target temperature was reached. After a certain period of freezing (depending on the treatment) the temperature was raised by 1 °C every hour until it reached 4 °C. The time of the experiment was measured from the moment the desired temperature was reached (below 0 °C) until the ice thawed and the temperature of 4 °C was reached again. The highest survival rates had Limnochares aquatica, Piona nodata, Sperchon clupeifer and Lebertia porosa, followed by L. insignis, Hygrobates longipalpis, H. setosus, Limnesia undulatoides, Piona pusilla, Arrenurus globator, Hydrodroma despiciens, Piona longipalpis, Sperchonopsis verrucosa, Unionicola crassipes and Mideopsis crassipes; no specimens of Torrenticola amplexa survived. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) water mites can survive freezing to −2 °C, lower temperatures are lethal for them; (2) they survived better the short period of freezing (24–48 h) than the long period (168 h); (3) resistance to freezing seems to be an evolutionary trait of individual species, only partly related to the living environment; and (4) freezing survival rates are linked to the region of Europe and are much lower in Southern than in Central Europe.

到目前为止，人们对成虫和潜行水螨（Acari、Hydrachnidia）在零下温度下生存的能力知之甚少。信息主要涉及来自春季静止水域的水螨，这些知识从未经过实验验证。为了确定水螨对冷冻的敏感性，进行了以下实验：（1）驯化的影响，（2）温度，和（3）冷冻时间对存活的影响，（4）来自各种类型水螨的存活率(5) 不同气候带水螨的存活率。实验在植物加速器室中进行，水螨被放置在装有 4/5 水的容器（10 × 10 × 5 cm）中，每个容器 10 个样本。完成实验后，水螨被鉴定到物种水平。温度每小时降低 1°C，直到达到目标温度。在冷冻一段时间后（取决于处理），温度每小时升高 1°C，直到达到 4°C。从达到所需温度（低于 0°C）的那一刻开始测量实验时间，直到冰融化并再次达到 4°C 的温度。最高的存活率有Limnochares菜类，PIONA无数据，Sperchon clupeifer和Lebertia porosa，随后L.荚，Hygrobates长须罗蛉，H. setosus，Limnesia undulatoides，PIONA pusilla，Arrenurus globator，Hydrodroma despiciens，PIONA长须罗蛉，Sperchonopsis疣状，蚌莲和Mideopsis莲; 没有Torrenticola amplexa标本活了下来。得出以下结论：（1）水螨可在-2℃的冰冻条件下存活，较低的温度对它们是致命的；(2) 短期冷冻（24-48 h）比长期冷冻（168 h）存活得更好；(3)抗冻性似乎是个别物种的进化特征，仅与生存环境有部分关系；(4) 冷冻成活率与欧洲地区有关，南部远低于中欧。