One benefit of very cold spells in winter is that it can kill or limit the spread of harmful pests and pathogens. I don't know yet whether this cold snap is enough to limit two of our major introduced insects, emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid. Does anyone know?
1 / 4
Comments
I don't think anything kills the ash borer, and we have seriously cold weather here.
I think those fokkers live on snow.
about 15 years ago, Emerald Ash Borer was found in Worcester MA, which then cut down 1,000s of mature trees
At the time, I thought that insanely stupid
but was it ?
did it have any effect, or just destroy trees in Worcester ?
1) There are ash trees that survive emerald ash borer. If we cut down trees in advance, we lose the opportunity to find those trees;
2) Many local governments were faced with huge budget problems if city trees died and became hazardous. Removing live trees reduced risks and costs.
also, as far as I know, maintaining even healthy trees is $, so ash borer excuse for city to get rid of them
pretty sure ash borers now in Prospect Hill Park, Waltham
remains of college entomology course
Treeazine injections work short term, but they're costly, and damaging to the host
Rather than having them treated with a highly toxic poison, I chose to experiment and released 3000 ladybugs into the trees in the evening. They decimated the adelgids, which are relatives of aphids.
. 💚
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/emerald-ash-borer-spreading-slower-than-expected-1.6921968
summer is up to 15 days, cold and wet weather = months
hits like 65 here in the winter, mosquitoes come out.
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialanimals/eab/winter.html
If harsh enough winter occurs pest populations diminish.
Best if we have very harsh winters.
Very harsh summers will burn most harmful pets in opposite ways.
This coming year we will have both extremes cold then extreme heat within weeks if each other — pest population will diminish in extremes.
Anticipate multiple deaths during extreme periods of cold and heat.
It can however disrupt an inauguration of certain pests.