Most of the insects that bother our gardens are built for the winters where they live, and they spend those months tucked into soil, leaf litter, and plant debris where the air temperature barely reaches them. Snow keeps them even warmer. We'll talk about how insects survive the cold, why a snowless cold snap can do more damage than a snowy one, and what studies on ticks and Japanese beetle grubs found when researchers measured winter survival. Then we'll look at what a warm winter does change, from invasive pests creeping north to insects that wake up too early and starve. And we'll finish with what you can do this fall and next spring, zone by zone, that matters more than the weather forecast.
Let's dig in!
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Reference and Resources
Bale, J. S., & Hayward, S. A. L. (2010). Insect overwintering in a changing climate. Journal of Experimental Biology 213(6): 980–994: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.037911
University of Illinois Extension (Pankau) — Winter Impacts to Insects: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2018-01-24-winter-impacts-insects
University of Minnesota Extension (Schuh) — What does a wimpy winter mean for insects?: https://blog-fruit-vegetable-ipm.extension.umn.edu/2024/03/what-does-wimpy-winter-mean-for-insects.html
Lawton, D., Huseth, A. S., Kennedy, G. G., Morey, A. C., Hutchison, W. D., et al. (2022). Pest population dynamics are related to a continental overwintering gradient. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(37): e2203230119: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2203230119
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach (Iles) — Will Mild Winter Mean More Insects Next Summer?: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/article/2012/2-8/insectsurvival.html
University of Maryland Extension (Anderson, Xerces Society) — Leave the Leaves for Natural Pest Control: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/leave-leaves-natural-pest-control
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