We investigated the control of diapause termination and seasonal changes of cold hardiness and polyol content in Aulacophora nigripennis. Adults were ready to start post-diapause development upon transfer to high temperature by late February irrespective of photoperiod. Photoperiod probably functions to maintain diapause before winter because adults resume reproductive development at a long photoperiod in autumn. Adults showed a decreased supercooling point (SCP), increased chill tolerance and high myo-inositol content during winter. Chill tolerance at 0 degrees C appears to be a more suitable indicator of their cold hardiness than SCP because they die at 0 degrees C without freezing and they normally have no chance of being exposed to low subzero temperatures close to their SCP. The temporal pattern for changes in chill tolerance was synchronized with that for fluctuations in myo-inositol content, indicating a possible causal relationship between the two phenomena.