Q: Has it been cold enough, long enough, this winter to kill the larvae of ants, fleas, ticks and mosquitoes?

A: Whenever we have a cold winter, gardeners wishfully hope that the frigid temperatures will diminish the insects they’ll face the next year.

While severe cold, below 0 degrees F., might affect overwintering insects the next year, most Georgia winters have little impact on them.

Pests can reproduce so fast that their population builds rapidly, no matter how many were killed by cold.

One year I saw fire ant mounds covered with dead ants after an Arctic blast came through following a week of warm March weather. Unfortunately, that same cold damaged roses and hydrangeas tremendously.

Bottom line? Don’t expect any summer relief from insects, even following the coldest temperatures in decades.