{"id":22918,"date":"2014-03-04T13:29:45","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T13:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecowatch.com\/?p=324205"},"modified":"2014-03-04T13:29:45","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T13:29:45","slug":"could-this-winters-harsh-weather-wipe-out-invasive-insects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leedpoints.com\/green-building-blog\/could-this-winters-harsh-weather-wipe-out-invasive-insects\/","title":{"rendered":"Could This Winter\u2019s Harsh Weather Wipe Out Invasive Insects?"},"content":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"Unled\"<\/p>\n

As a frigid winter takes a toll on the U.S.<\/a> and Canada, invasive insect populations are also taking a hit. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that up to 80 percent<\/a> of emerald ash borers, which have been decimating ash tree populations, were killed by long stretches of bitter cold in the the upper Midwest this year.<\/p>\n[caption id=\"attachment_324210\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"500\"]\"Unled\"<\/a> Damage on ash tree from an emerald ash borer. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons[\/caption]\n

Several other insect pests, many of which have migrated northward because of milder winters in recent years, also are faring poorly this winter, including corn earworms and gypsy moths.<\/p>\n

Researchers remain skeptical, however, that the die-offs will have lasting effects on pest populations. Emerald ash borers in Chicago, IL, for example, survived the sub-zero weather because Chicago temperatures fell only to -17 degrees Fahrenheit, rather than Minnesota’s -20 degrees Fahrenheit, which seems to be a critical temperature threshold for the pests.<\/p>\n

The effects of this winter are “more like a reprieve,” one entomologist told the Washington Post<\/em>, and an opportunity to study whether large numbers of invasive insects can be killed off to make problems more manageable in the long-run. <\/p>\n

Visit EcoWatch’s BIODIVERSITY<\/a> page for more related news on this topic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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