Is the warm winter giving pests an early start?

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Are you stocking up on bug spray? Our warmer winter could lead to more mosquitoes and other pests, come spring and summer.

Many insects could get an early start says Dr. Judy Myers, a zoologist with UBC.

“One group of insects that do really well if you have a nice warm spring are things like the Yellow Jacket wasps. So if the flowers come out and they have a lot of nectar to feed on in the early spring, then they are able to build up rapidly. And then by August, we have big populations.”

Less-threatening insects are also benefiting from the weather.

“One of the species we have in Vancouver that people might be aware of is the Winter Moth. Generally, they come out in late March or early April but if it’s warmer, they will hatch a little earlier. They feed on a variety of trees.”

But Myers says a lot depends on the next month or so.

“If the weather is good, insects will do well. If we, all of a sudden, get a cold snap or maybe it even goes below freezing, then those insects and flowers that have come out will suffer and that will knock them back,” she explains.

Myers adds an early start doesn’t guarantee higher levels overall.

She suggests taking a wait-and-see approach before heading out to buy that bug spray.

“I don’t think people should panic because we’ve had a warm spring. Rainfall will have an effect on how many mosquitoes we have around and that type of thing, so I don’t think it’s going to be a particularly bad bug year — we’ve just we’ve had a long spring.”

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