I believe you're right. We had colder than usual weather last winter and this season was relatively pest-free, including the SVBs

I picked a cucumber this evening and several summer squash. I had a huge bounty due to the severe winter killing the SVB, cucumber beetles, and squash beetles. For many weeks I dropped on many excess zucchini on people's doorsteps this summer. However, I am sad that the brutal winter killed a couple of my trees and reduced the size of the peach crop.

The winter also killed a couple of my young fruit trees. None of my fruit trees really flowered this Spring, so no fruit on them this year. Even the older trees had no fruit.

I picked zucchini and green beans yesterday. I have lots of peppers but they are not turning colors, most are still green. The tomatoes were not very successful this year due to the excessive rain we had in the spring. Guess I'll have to plant them on a hill if I want to get tomatoes in the future. This was the second year with too much rain for the tomatoes - they drowned. Weeds did fine! Usually we have a frost by now and it looks as if it will continue to be above freezing for another week.

What the weather takes with one hand, it gives with the other. I had almost no fruit from my trees either, because of the cold, but also a remarkable shortage of many pests and diseases.

I wish I could say that ... I picked off gobs of squash bugs, stink bugs... I try to avoid chemicals like sevin.... When I pulled up several squash plants. I counted prob over a dozen or more squash vine borers just in one squash plant
.Only reason I counted ,cause as I cut the vine (I pulled up) if front of my two Barr rocks while sitting on a stool in their run.... They waited while, excitedly, and ready to peck and eat each borer as I cut thru each part of the stems and main stem.....
I tried to get the lil lazy butts to peck the pulled up plant themselves.. they are spoiled....
only reason we got plenty this year,, was the transplants I bought had more than one plant in each cell---- so we ate squahs every nite for weeks and weeks. yum,yum
thanks yall

My first year growing regular orange pumpkins and Kabocha. I did not have much luck. The bed is new, so the winter did not mean anything here. The SVBs invaded all my vines. When I figured out what was going wrong, it was too late. 4 of my regular pumpkins vines made it since they are very strong and the SVBs did not kill them. The Kabocha did not that much luck. I did get many small Kabocha, no mature ones.

I'm going to spray them next year. Do not want my season wasted again.

2 years ago SVBs wiped out every winter squash and pumpkin vine I planted. So last year I put beneficial nematodes in the garden as soon as the ground warmed up. Last year and this year I haven't lost a single vine.

Next year I'll re-seed the garden with them including some that go after termites and ants.

Not cold enough in zone 6b, I had plenty. Hard to believe anything could survive last winter.