Bitter cold is making the winter of 2018 a misery for most southern Africans. However, farmers are the happy exceptions. The cold snap is ridding their fields of insects that have proliferated during recent mild winters. Global warming has increased insect populations to the detriment of agricultural industries and home gardeners everywhere.
“If not for the cold we could face another year of summer infestations that devour crops,” Gavin Aranky, managing director of Swaziland Agricultural Supplies, told FTW Online.
Generally, the colder the weather, the greater the pest die-off. The temperature drop required to kill off pests depends on the insect species. However, the freezing point is the usual mark at which many insects die. They tend to leave behind eggs, but these may also perish in lingering cold weather. Mature fleas die when the temperature hits 2.77 degrees celsius, and their eggs and larvae are killed if this temperature is maintained for 10 days. Termites exposed to freezing temperatures will die unless burrowed into wood.
