THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, March 4, 1996                  TAG: 9603040023
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                           LENGTH: Short :   48 lines

WINTER WON'T SLOW THE INSECTS FOR PROTECTION, THEY PREPARE THEIR OWN ANTIFREEZE.

The unusually harsh winter Virginia has had won't reduce the number of insects that will bug us this summer, scientists say.

Entomologists say that 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. Snow can insulate ground insects from colder air above.

Virginia was socked by ice, snow and cold this winter. The average temperature was 1.6 degrees below normal in Richmond and 2.1 degrees below normal in Northern Virginia.

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.

But when the warmth of spring arrives, the insects compensate by reproducing prolifically.

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 emerging from hibernation.

A late freeze isn't too helpful, because it also can kill the good insects, such as ladybugs and praying mantises, Hampton University biologist Barbara Abraham said.

Some insects seek shelter in people's homes, but that's usually a fatal mistake, said Eric R. Day, a Virginia Tech entomologist.

``It's too dry and warm,'' Day said. ``And it's hard to survive the heel of a shoe.'' by CNB