Will our warm winter mean a worse-than-average insect summer?
MINNEAPOLIS — Our record-warm start to the year has made it easy to get outside, but it could have much bigger impacts when it comes to insects as we head into spring and summer.
"So clearly, if you have a cold spell, it kills some off," said Dr. Vera Krischik, a professor of entomology at the University of Minnesota. "Mosquitoes probably will increase to some point where drought dries up vernal ponds that many of them come from, and then they'll decrease."
Krischik says the big temperature swings we've seen won't be good either, especially for butterflies.
"It's the rapid fluctuation changes and not just affecting monarchs, but it's affecting the plants they use. The trees they roost in. So there's just cascading effects."
Butterflies, of course, are big pollinators. As are bees. And they're impacted too, especially by the ongoing drought.
"From an agricultural standpoint, you're making less honey. And from a native bee standpoint, you don't have the pollen and nectar for the next generation. So the impact can be huge on pollinators," Krischik said.
Even though the outlook seems grim, she says there are things we can do to help.
"You can put in pollinator gardens, rain gardens, bee lawns and make sure that you have plants that provide pollen nectar in the spring & fall and also irrigate them."
If you have any gardening questions, you can reach out to the university's master gardeners. You can find their information by clicking here.