Winter moths and the benefits of cold

It snowed again today.  Like many gardens across the country, mine is buried deep under several feet of snow.  While I was shoveling my long driveway this morning I made up a mental list of the benefits of a snowy, cold winter for the garden.

There should be plenty of water in my well, as the aquifer under my property will be filled by snowmelt.

Also, I won't lose topsoil in the garden from wind and rain-- the snow will hold it in place.  My strawberries are well insulated by that snow pack, too, and should not be hurt by the deep cold we've also experienced.

And maybe, just maybe, the cold will reduce the population of Winter Moth caterpillars this May.

If you live outside of the East coast of North America from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts you may not know about the Winter Moth.  It is an invasive pest (originating in Europe), similar to the Gypsy Moth in it's potential for defoliation of some tree and shrub species.  The adult moths hatch out in November and December to mate and lay eggs. Because this is after most birds migrate, they have a high survival rate.

In May the tiny green caterpillars crawl into buds and eat from the inside.  if the spring is hot, the leaves open fast and there is a chance of birds eating some of them. If it is cool the leaves are stripped to the ribs.  I had very bad infestation on my blueberries last year, resulting in few berries, though I fertilized and got new leaves at least.

I searched on the web, but found no certain info that a winter to 0 degrees will kill the eggs on tree bark, but I can hope.  There's got to be something positive in this brutal weather.  Excuse me, I've got to go shovel my roof.