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Insect Overwintering: A bit like Goldilocks?

February 16, 2021 1:35 PM
Blog Post

One of the most common questions coming out of any winter is “how did the insects do?” In winters like this, where we have extended cold spells, farmers and agronomists alike want to know whether the cold was enough to kill some of our most common crop pests. Entomologists Erin Hodgson and Ashley Dean have written several articles in the past regarding how (and how well) insect pests overwinter. You can find those resources listed below.

Cold Hardiness of Insects and the Impact of Fluctuating Temperatures

Encyclopedia Article

Temperature often limits the distribution of an insect species, but it can also influence its success in the occupied range. This is because insects are ectotherms, meaning their internal body temperature changes with their environment because they do not generate heat. Therefore, insects are directly affected by microclimates caused by daily or seasonal temperature fluctuations in their habitats.

Plan to Scout Alfalfa Stands for Winter Survival

March 13, 2017

A warm weather pattern in late February caused soil temperatures across most of Iowa to rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit (F). This warm period was likely long enough for alfalfa and some forage grasses (most ryegrass varieties and less winter-hardy orchardgrass and tall fescue varieties) to break dormancy. When low temperatures resume, alfalfa plants can reharden to a degree, but only to the extent that it still has stored carbohydrates available.

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Fall and Winter Management of Alfalfa

November 11, 2008

Steve Barnhart, Department of Agronomy

Rain in May and early June this year put most alfalfa producers behind two to three weeks for their first, and correspondingly their second, third, and sometimes forth cuttings. Now in mid-November, producers can look back on the season, determine if there are still some management decisions to make and guess about winter survival.

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Fall Management of Alfalfa

September 22, 2008

Steve Barnhart, Department of Agronomy
Rain in May and early June this year put most alfalfa producers behind two to three weeks for their first, and correspondingly their second and third cuttings. Now in mid-September, producers are taking advantage of a favorable week of drying weather to make what is their last summer cutting. 

This is crowding into the normal four to six week fall rest period for the alfalfa stands. Producers should consider if these mid-September harvests will put the stands at risk. 

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