Research proves pests survive winter

Photo: Gita Kelpsiene / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

Winter is coming, and pests are well-equipped to survive whatever nature throws at them.

Many arthropods use a combination of survival strategies to survive the winter months, ranging from producing antifreeze proteins to finding a place to hide when temperatures drop.

Snowfall itself can even help arthropods survive the cold. When the snowpack reaches about 6 inches, it creates a stable environment below that remains warmer than the ambient air exposed to freezing winds. This protective region, known as the subnivium, serves as a winter refuge for many organisms.

We know that life exists in the subnivium. Still, many questions surround the diversity and abundance of which insects, arachnids and isopods call this environment home during the winter.

To address some of these questions, researchers from the University of New Hampshire conducted a sampling study using pitfall traps to collect and compare arthropod communities across seasons. Pitfall traps are a standard sampling tool, trapping crawling arthropods that wander into the collection containers and can’t escape.

The team collected more than 20,000 arthropods in pitfall traps. The collected data showed, unsurprisingly, that arthropod communities in the winter months were smaller and less diverse than in the summer months. In fact, summer collections had nearly six-fold more arthropods than winter collections.

However, approximately 37 percent of all the species collected were exclusively recovered in the winter months, with rove beetles and spiders dominating the collections. This suggests certain species are subnivium specialists that prefer the sub-snow environment!

Understanding how pests survive seasonal changes helps you stay one step ahead in providing year-round preventive care. The University of New Hampshire study shows that arthropod life doesn’t simply pause during the cold winter months — and some not only survive, but thrive in subfreezing conditions.

Additional problematic pests, such as ticks, use snowfall to guard against subfreezing temperatures. Knowing how winter conditions can impact and protect certain pests can help guide your pest management efforts as you prepare your clients for spring.

<p>The post Research proves pests survive winter first appeared on Pest Management Professional.</p>

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2024/11/14/research-proves-pests-survive-winter/
Sacramento CA