Although many people believe that unusually warm winters,
like the one we had in 2011-2012, always lead to an increase in springtime insects,
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus Douglas says a wide variety of
factors contribute to yearly insect populations.
In a press release issued Wednesday, April 18, Douglas
points out that warm winters may lead to insects emerging earlier than usual,
or being active for a longer period of time, which contributes to the
perception that there are more creepy crawlies than in years with a more
typical cold season.
"Perhaps one of the greatest factors when considering insect
populations is our own perceptions," said Douglas. "Most
insects live, breed and die with little notice from the human race. We only pay
attention to the numbers of the ones that really ‘bug' us."
Douglas goes on to explain that
spring and summer insect populations are often more effected by cold weather
that happens before or after winter officially occurs. Early freezes in the
fall can kill off insect populations before they have the chance to prepare to
overwinter. Likewise, late freezes can wipe out insects that emerge early.
"If you get a cold snap, it could wipe most of them out,"
said West Virginia Department of Agriculture Entomologist Berry Crutchfield,
Ph.D. "All the insects that came out early could end up dying. You really can't
predict what's going to happen."
Crutchfield also points out that when climate does lead to
an increase in certain insect populations, often that also means that
populations of species which pray on those insect are also increased.
Finally, Douglass states that, rather than being concerned
about an increased population of harmless insects, it's more practical to be
concerned about the population of insects that can destroy crops on farms and
gardens.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WVNS. All Rights Reserved.
