Believe it or not, there’s actually something very good about the very cold weather we are experiencing.
This extreme cold weather is going to help control an extreme invasive species.
The Emerald Ash Borer won’t be eradicated by the cold, but this week’s temperatures will help. The U.S. Forest Service says 34 percent of larvae die at 10 below, 79 percent die at 20 below, and 98 percent of the larvae die at 30 below.
At these bitter cold temperatures, the fluid inside the larvae turns to ice, which tears up their organs. A few days of 30 below zero will go a long way to preserving the state’s ash trees.