Could freezing winter weather lead to fewer bugs this summer?
The bad news: The East Coast has been freezing the past few days. The good news: fewer insects could be bugging you this summer.
But not necessarily.
Experts say that insects like mosquitoes and ticks will not be obliterated.
"They're going to get through this. They are going to make it because they have experienced these kinds of conditions before, and they don't get wiped out. Maybe we'll get a little suppression of ticks, but we'll see," Susan Paskewitz, chair of the University of Wisconsin Madison Department of Entomology told Popular Science.
Multiple factors go into whether the bugs will survive. It depends on how cold the temperatures get and whether you get a lot of snow.
Mosquitoes and ticks find warm spots until freezing temperatures climb.
There are also mosquitoes that thrive in cold weather, using a biological antifreeze to stay warm. They also can slow down their metabolism in cold weather.
Paskewitz told the science magazine that some areas may see some relief but not all, and we'll have to wait and see once it gets warmer.
Insect experts in Maine agree, that while humans are freezing, the pests are relatively cozy thanks to leaves and snow.
Maine Medical Center Research Institute is wrapping up a three-year study examining how snow, fallen leaves and cold weather affect tick populations, the Bangor Daily News reported.
