Entomologists and tree experts say here may be an upside to the recent extended period of subzero weather in northern New England.
The deep freeze could tamp down insect populations that threaten backyard landscapes and woodlands across the region.
Jim Dill from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension tells the Portland Press Herald the winter moth and hemlock woolly adelgid and possibly the brown-tail moth and spruce budworm may be especially susceptible to subzero temperatures.
But Dill said ticks, mosquitoes and fleas likely won't be affected. He said they're either hitching a ride on warm-blooded creatures, or are dormant in ice-covered swamps and ponds or hidden in topsoil beneath the snow.
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