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Bitter winter cold kills some but not all insect pests

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February 3rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The recent extreme cold weather will kill some but not all of the insects in the area. The Quad-City Times reports area residents will still have to deal with Japanese beetles and emerald ash borers next summer.

Iowa State University entomologist Donald Lewis says the cold temperatures always kill some insects, but enough survive to repopulate the area in the next breeding cycle. Lewis says the Japanese beetles known for their voracious appetites already have grubs about 4-to-6 inches underground, so those won’t be affected by the cold air temperatures.

Lee Frelich with the University of Minnesota has done research to show that Emerald ash borers are unlikely to die off in extreme cold, but their numbers might be reduced.