Extreme cold hopefully killing bad bugs

This winter’s extremely cold temperatures could mean good things for plants and trees in the spring. Experts say there’s a possibility the deep freeze may kill off some invasive species. Certain beetles, moths and stink bugs, mostly from Asia, can cause significant damage to our plants and trees. But it seems this cold weather could bite back.

We’re not the only ones feeling the effects of the deep freeze. The head of horticulture at the Royal Botanical Gardens says there is a chance some unwanted pests like gypsy moths, which eat away at plant leaves, may not all survive the sustained cold temperatures.

Carlo Balistrieri is the Head of Horticulture at the Royal Botanical Gardens: “We saw them laying egg masses all summer and fall long but by and large it has probably been cold enough for long enough that we won’t have a big issue with them.”

Experts hope it will be a similar situation for the emerald ash borer. They’ve been wreaking havoc on the ash tree population.

Carlo says: “The insects lay their eggs in these trees, the eggs hatch under the bark. The larva travel through the bark creating these tunnels which are called galleries.”

At Victoria Park in Hamilton, when you take a close look at this Ash, you can see the damage caused by the Emerald Ash Borer. They’ve left tiny D-shaped holes in the bark.