Where garden pests overwinter and what to do to prevent them from surviving until spring

20.03.2023 00:30

Most gardeners know that pests can survive the winter well, they simply hibernate.

In winter they do not cause any harm, but in spring they actively begin to neutralize everything in their path.

Where pests overwinter

Some pests like to spend the winter in bushes and on tree bark.

If you notice red spots on the bark, these are the larvae of the apple scale insect. And the caterpillars of the plum and apple codling moth overwinter under the bark of trees.

Some pests like to overwinter in leaves and young shoots.

country house
Photo: © Belnovosti

White butterflies build nests in the leaves, covering them with webs. Their caterpillars spend the winter in these nests. The red apple mite and the golden tail also spend the winter in the same way.

The viburnum leaf beetle and winter moth overwinter in young shoots. The apple leafhopper, aphid and ringed silkworm overwinter on young bark.

Many pests overwinter in leaves and soil, creating favorable conditions for strawberry mites and weevils.

The cruciferous flea beetle overwinters in the soil. Currant and gooseberry moths, wrapped in a cocoon, overwinter well under a layer of leaves.

Therefore, before the onset of winter, it is necessary to treat the trees against pests so that there will be much fewer of them in the spring.

Author: Elena Gutyro Internet resource editor