Short shelf life of Heterorhabditis indica SL0708 at room temperature represents the main limitation in the application of this entomopathogenic nematode in biological control. In order to employ a long term storage method, such as cryopreservation, it is necessary to induce dormancy of infective juveniles (IJs) to increase their survival. Dormancy is achieved by dehydrating IJs, by exposing them to cryoprotectants such as glycerol and methanol. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the viability and dehydration of H. indica SL0708 IJs exposed to glycerol and methanol. IJs were incubated in 12, 15 and 18% glycerol for 24 hours. The highest survival and dehydration percentages were obtained in glycerol 18%, with 70.9% viable IJs and 19.5% viable dehydrated IJs. Additionally, viability and dehydration of IJs of H. indica SL0708, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora HASA702 and S. feltiae exposed to 18% glycerol and 70% methanol were evaluated. S. feltiae showed the highest viability and dehydration. It was demonstrated that incubation in methanol after exposure to glycerol causes a reduction in viability and dehydration of IJs of the genus Heterorhabditis. Furthermore, it was observed high variability among different populations of IJs. Results indicate that Heterorhabditids have a low dehydration tolerance, since they are more susceptible to glycerol and methanol toxicity.