News
Soybean aphid populations likely down because of Polar Vortex
Soybean aphid populations will likely be reduced by this winter’s Polar Vortex.
University of Minnesota Extension crops educator Dave Nicolai says temperatures must be extremely cold to cause aphid mortality because the insect is well-protected in buckthorn.
“In those buds and in part of those bushes and so forth, so they can tolerate a lot of it. But we do know when it gets cold enough there can be fatalities among the population, and die back down.”
Aphids can usually match their temperature to the surrounding environment.
Temps in the Upper Midwest fell to 30 below zero for several days in late January.
“When we’ve had temperatures that have been consistently 10, 20, 30 below, (mortality) becomes much more likely. At the zero degree amount, they do seem to survive.”
Nicolai tells Brownfield aphid populations can grow quickly, so even a small percent of surviving insects could still cause problems under the right conditions.
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