It gives me great pleasure to tell you that we humans are not the only ones that suffer in this cold winter weather. The larvae of the destructive emerald ash borer and japanese beetle also have a difficult time surviving temperatures colder than -25C .
The larvae of the japanese beetles (grubs) burrow into the soil in our gardens and lawns each fall to survive the winter weather. Generally, the colder the air temperature, the deeper they burrow, to try to escape the frigid and lethal temperatures. If they cannot get deep enough (below the frost level) they die, resulting in less destruction in our yards the following summer. So, these cold spells we have been experiencing are great, especially when the temperature drops quickly since the larvae do not have time to get below the frost level in the ground.
Another point I should make: the poorer the condition of your soil, the deeper and faster they can burrow and the greater chance they survive, so if you get to nothing else in your yard maintenance, amend your soil often!
The larvae of the emerald ash borer overwinter within the outer bark layer of the ash trees. They too do not tolerate the very cold temperatures, which can kill the larvae or stunt and delay its growth.
I hope this information warms your heart the next time the temperature dips below the comfort zone of humans; we are not alone in our hatred of this cold weather!
We’re having a cold spell here too, and if it lasts long enough it will kill off the mountain pine beatle bugs which are doing so much damage in BC, and which are starting to move into Alberta.