Does drought affect insect population?

I live in Wisconsin and the state has been pretty much in a drought since early Summer. We have also experienced intense heat. It seems that there are not nearly as many insects around as in a year with more average temperatures. Yesterday I did a 200 mile trip to the northern part of the state and when I returned there was not one dead insect on my car. Last year at this time the same trip would have had the car covered with dead insects. On a recent trip to my favorite macro pond I only saw two dragonflies and one damsel. This pond is usually loaded with them. Is anyone else experiencing this?

Larry Weinman wrote in post #14739166
I live in Wisconsin and the state has been pretty much in a drought since early Summer. We have also experienced intense heat. It seems that there are not nearly as many insects around as in a year with more average temperatures. Yesterday I did a 200 mile trip to the northern part of the state and when I returned there was not one dead insect on my car. Last year at this time the same trip would have had the car covered with dead insects. On a recent trip to my favorite macro pond I only saw two dragonflies and one damsel. This pond is usually loaded with them. Is anyone else experiencing this?

Yeah, Ohio is dead right now too. Either they're all hiding, or nymphs and other young bugs didn't make it. I'm on vacation in NC, and bug life seems pretty sparse here too.

Over here in the UK it has been exacty the opposite weather wise. we have had the wettest coldest summer I have ever experienced and I think it was officially the wettest June on record.

This seems to have had an adverse affect on insects here too, but not as bad as yours sounds.

It seems we are to get some warmer weather here in the next week or so as the jet stream is starting to moved further north to where it usually is. Hopefully this will mean you guys get some much needed rain.

Arkansas is in the same situation, it is usually hot but until last week we also had little rainfall. If I did not have cone flowers, sage, butterfly bushes and bee balm in my back yard I would have only the spiders still around.

Here in the KC Missouri area it seems about the same. We have had lots of days in the mid 100s and very little rain. All the yards are brown and the bugs seem to be in hiding. It sure is nice to be able to walk around outside without bugs flying around. I haven't even seen as many spider webs.

Last Winter though was very warm and dry as well. We only had one or two dustings of snow. I am not sure if we had many if any days where the high wasn't above freezing.

Of course in the past million years I am sure stranger things have happened with the weather. I do really miss the thunderstorms though. I love taking pictures of lighting.

I live in central Illinois and the drought has really taken hold on this part of the state. My yard is barren and some of my shrubs are dying. There are still a lot of flies and even more horseflies than normal. I went out to the lake yesterday and there were a lot more insects. A nice selection of dragonflies.

Alabama has been getting some good rain but I don't seem to see alot of the insects that I saw back in georgia, one state over, as a child. Im not sure why but I think it is because it has been so hot. The other day after it rained it got down to about 75 degrees and I couldnt believe the amount of insects that seemed to come out of hiding. One thing I would like to add is that a few years ago an new pesticide was introduced that almost completely wiped out the entire population of honey bees in the southeastern united states. Im not sure if this effected the development of other species which migrate across the united states.

Was just reading this today:

http://www.usatoday.co​m …23/summer-bugs/56442572/1

Seems there may be a surge soon! Haha

Insects are very resilient, even a string of bad summers will not stop them bouncing back when conditions are right. Their potential reproductive rates are mind boggling, its fortunate they have predators!