Feb 12, 2012 – More Than Spring Is Bustin’ Out
QUESTION:
We have had a very mild and wet winter. What are your thoughts regarding how this will affect the crawling, flying bug and mosquito populations this spring? Thanks.
ANSWER:
This is always a good question where we can only guess at the answer. It probably depends on the specific kind of insect as to whether the result will be more of them or less of them. When we have had extensive spring rains it tends to keep the ground soggy much later into the spring and early summer, and this may encourage molds and fungi that feed on buried insect stages, such as moth pupae or cricket and grasshopper egg masses. So, it's no guarantee, but it is possible that a lot of rain would be harmful to these kinds of insects and reduce their populations later. Late snow cover and cool soil temperatures may also keep buried insects in the ground later, thus giving them a late start at producing more generations.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
We have had a very mild and wet winter. What are your thoughts regarding how this will affect the crawling, flying bug and mosquito populations this spring? Thanks.
ANSWER:
This is always a good question where we can only guess at the answer. It probably depends on the specific kind of insect as to whether the result will be more of them or less of them. When we have had extensive spring rains it tends to keep the ground soggy much later into the spring and early summer, and this may encourage molds and fungi that feed on buried insect stages, such as moth pupae or cricket and grasshopper egg masses. So, it's no guarantee, but it is possible that a lot of rain would be harmful to these kinds of insects and reduce their populations later. Late snow cover and cool soil temperatures may also keep buried insects in the ground later, thus giving them a late start at producing more generations.
Usually we think that moderate winter temperatures will help a lot of overwintering bugs survive, as freezing temps often kill eggs or pupae that are exposed. The moth pupae buried in the soil may freeze solid and be destroyed. Overwintering female paper wasps and yellowjackets will probably survive in greater numbers if the winter is mild, and particularly if they get an early start in the spring they will be able to get the new colony going earlier and larger colonies of worker wasps would result.
Moderate winters and abundant moisture also usually equate to LOTS of plant life - weeds, early crops, early sprouting of leaves on dormant trees and shrubs, and all of this foliage means a lot of food for insects that feed on plants. This in turn (lots of bugs) means that much more food for the predatory insects, so the food chain benefits when it starts well early in the spring. If shrubs sprout early then you may get early populations of aphids and other plant parasites, and these bugs produce honeydew that may encourage ants to get going earlier and stronger. It can just snowball into the summer.
Mosquitoes, of course, should absolutely thrive on this kind of weather. Plenty of rain means plenty of aquatic habitats for the larvae, and this could be low areas and seasonal pools as well as tree holes full of water. Everyone's backyard with old tires, buckets, planters, and anything else that can retain water become potential breeding sites for larvae. Rain gutters get clogged with dirt and leaves and retain all that water, and if the temps are mild the larvae can run through their life cycle in just a week or two and adult mosquitoes will be early and abundant.
All in all it sounds like a good year approaching for pest management. California, on the other hand, is currently in the grips of a really severe lack of rain.
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