weather

Frost’s Bite: How Do Insects Survive Winter?

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An emerald ash borer larva overwinters by curling into a J shape inside a channel in an ash tree in Brookfield in 2019.

An emerald ash borer larva overwinters by curling into a J shape inside a channel in an ash tree in Brookfield in 2019. / Photo Credit: Bill McNee, Wisconsin DNR

By Michael Hillstrom, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Fitchburg

Michael.Hillstrom@wisconsin.gov

As winter’s chill persists, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Forest Health staff members are often asked how cold it needs to get to kill insects, especially invasives.

The answer varies from species to species, but many insects are well adapted to dealing with freezing winter temperatures. Some, such as monarchs, avoid the issue and migrate south for the winter. Others, such as multicolored Asian ladybeetles, annoy us with their presence in our homes and offices as they try to avoid the cold until spring.

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Five Years Later, Effects Of Derecho Remain

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By Art Kabelowsky, DNR Outreach and Communications, Fitchburg;
Arthur.Kabelowsky@wisconsin.gov; 608-335-0167

Over the night of July 19-20, 2019, Mother Nature carved a massive swath of destruction through northern Wisconsin.

Today, after years of hard work cleaning up after the massive derecho windstorm of ’19, local foresters, work crews and landowners have only begun to understand the breadth and depth of the damage as they process the lessons learned.

In many areas, the recovery work remains incomplete. Some of that forest damage will never receive direct attention.

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Weather Whiplash Affects Pine Stands

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Swath of dead pine due to high water table mortality

A swath of pine dead due to high water table mortality in 2020 in northeast Wisconsin.

By Alex Hornung, DNR Forest Health Specialist, Plover;
Alexandra.Hornung@wisconsin.gov

Many pine stands across central and northeast Wisconsin are being impacted by the change from high levels of precipitation to extreme drought that has occurred over the last 5-7 years.

Drastic or sudden changes can be particularly stressful to trees of all species, but especially to pine stands that prefer well-drained soil types.

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