ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, March 4, 1996 TAG: 9603050011
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
Virginia's harsh winter won't reduce the number of insects that will bug us this summer, scientists say.
Entomologists say mosquitoes will still swarm around campers, flies will plague picnickers, and crop pests will munch away as usual.
``Insects have existed on the planet millions of years, and they have certainly adapted to overwintering in the conditions we have had,'' said Ames Herbert, a Virginia Tech entomologist.
Many insects prepare for winter by converting body fluids to glycerol, a type of antifreeze. They hibernate in the ground, in leafy debris and under tree bark.
Extreme, ground-freezing cold will kill many hibernating insects. And birds and other predators will eat the bugs in winter, when the creatures are too slow to escape.
Many scientists say that spring weather, not winter, is more important in determining the size of summer swarms.
A rainy spring will help mosquitoes and biting flies, which lay eggs in wet areas. But the rain can kill crop pests such as the corn earworm, which can drown in the ground before it emerges.
A spring freeze can kill insects if they don't seek shelter fast enough after energing from hibernation
LENGTH: Short : 35 linesby CNB