Insect Update: Bugs Of Spring

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show
tent caterpillar
Katja Schulz CC-BY

Warmer weather will soon be bringing the first round of spring insects. Entomologist Phil Pellitteri is back to talk about tick season and insects that hatch when leaves start to emerge.

Featured in this Show

  • Insect Update: Spring Debut Later Than Usual

    With the unseasonably late snowfall this year, the insect spring debut is a bit later than usual, according to entomologist Phil Pellitteri.

    “Insects are going to be late in getting active, just like plants this year,” he said. “We use the blooming of various plants because like insects, they use heat to develop.”

    Pellitteri says the snow likely had no effect on insects because they hadn’t appeared yet. What makes a difference is if they wake up, and are then hit with a bout of frigid temperatures.

    While the delay may seem like a blessing, for some insects it will make the spring invasion worse, he said. Take mosquitos in northern Wisconsin.

    “The biggest problem we have up north is from a group of mosquitoes we call snowmelt mosquitos … a lot of spring flooding sets the condition right,” Pellitteri said. “Good news is there’s only one generation of those, but it can make things miserable in May and June. And we’re setting up for that.”

    Weather aside, Pellitteri answers some springtime insect maintenance questions.

    How do you protect yourself from ticks?

    “The thing I always warn people about, if there is no snow on the ground and it’s 45 degrees, you can go from no ticks, to right in the middle of tick season within three or four days,” he said.

    Tick season used to not start until you got into May, then it was done by late July, Pellitteri said. Nowadays, if there’s no snow on the ground, keep your guard up.

    To protect yourself, Pellitteri recommends using clothing sprays with permethrin as the active ingredient. Many products you can buy will last for four to five washes.

    How do you keep Asian lady beetles from taking over your home?

    Often confused with the Japanese beetle, Asian lady beetles find their way into your home in the fall, typically during an Indian summer.

    “In the spring, what you’re witnessing are the ones who survived (the winter) and are trying to get back outside,” he said. “Next year, seal up anything you can, it’s an access issue.”

    Another alternative is to spray the outside of your home, roughly at the end of September, he said. However, that’s not a permanent solution, like ensuring your house is sealed.

    How do you create a better environment for native pollinators?

    “When you look at the environment these insects require to breed, that’s the direction you have to take things,” Pellitteri said.

    For bumblebees, because they nest in cavities, Pellitteri said old chipmunk burrows or a birdhouse placed on the ground with a single opening can encourage them to nest there.

    For other types of bees, he advises drilling various sized holes in boards to mimic bark beetle holes that bees utilize in the forest.

Episode Credits

  • Larry Meiller Host
  • Jill Nadeau Producer
  • Phil Pellitteri Guest

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