FARGO — In her more than 20 years of living in south Fargo near Lincoln Elementary School, Laurie Hanson said this year sticks out as one where the bugs are not buzzing. It’s not for lack of trying.

During the heatwave, I spread a layer of mulch over my backyard in preparation for fruit tree planting and by the next day found a number of dead, shiny green beetles on top of the mulch. These were ...