Pyrrhocoris apterus (Heteroptera:Pyrrhocoridae) is widely distributed throughout Europe and Asia and has a large range of temperature tolerance. In particular, P. apterus has strong resistance to cold owing to overwintering diapause on the soil surface near the roots of host plants. To quantify respiratory metabolism and investigate adaptation to seasonal temperature changes, O₂ uptake rate and CO₂ release rate were measured to give metabolic rates and respiratory quotients on a monthly basis for field populations of P. apterus using a multi-channel insect respiration apparatus (Sable Systems, USA). The aforementioned characteristics are strongly linked to environmental temperature and important to insect growth and development in various physiological activities. Based on an initial experiment, data recorded at 90s intervals have sufficient details, and a total of 45 individuals were collected from the field and examined at the laboratory every month (Oct 2013 to Sep 2014), the measurements were repeated three times for each individual. Results showed that the respiratory metabolism of P. apterus has a distinct seasonal variation. The lowest values occurred in winter (December-February); the average values of O₂ uptake rate, CO₂ release rate, and metabolic rate were (3.16±1.02)×10^-5 mL/min, (2.09±0.78)×10^-5 mL/min, and (0.11±0.08)×10^-3 mL g^-1 min^-1, respectively. Respiratory metabolic rate increased rapidly in spring from March to May and peaked in summer from June to August; the values of O₂ uptake rate, CO₂ release rate, and metabolic rate were (33.68±2.68)×10^-5 mL/min, (36.00±3.07)×10^-5 mL/min, and (18.16±0.83)×10^-3 mL g^-1 min^-1, respectively. The respiratory metabolism decreased from autumn to winter. Results showed a clear positive correlation between ground surface temperature and respiratory metabolism of P. Apterus (r₁=0.914, r₂=0.909, r₃=0.836 for O₂ uptake rate, CO₂ release rate, and metabolic rate, respectively). We found that the RQ value we measured were from 0.71-0.97 and P. apterus used carbohydrates as a substrate for respiratory metabolism in spring, summer, and autumn, whereas lipid was mostly consumed in winter. This study indicated that P.apterus can adjust its respiratory metabolism according to the trend of environmental temperatures and use different substrates to vary metabolic rate, which may reflect adaptations enabling P. apterus to maintain its persistent, widely distributed metapopulation. These results elucidate the dynamic changes of respiratory metabolism of P. apterus in response to seasonal temperature changes, and provide a foundation for further study on how the biochemical mechanism of a P.apterus field population has enabled this species to adapt to the environment.