The changing weather patterns are beginning to harm food resources and are leading to more insect invasions throughout the globe. At first, the insect invasions could be predicted easily, but climate change makes it even more challenging to keep track of these annoying creatures.
Are you wondering how the weather affects insect problems? The University of Illinois discovered that insects are cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature adapts to the environment. Changing weather patterns lead to changes in temperatures, moisture, wind direction and speed, and rainfall. All these individually affect insects. These weather components can either increase or decrease insect populations, and the likelihood of infesting your home.
Stay ahead of changing pest pressures with year-round pest control from Modern. Call 800-323-7378 today!
Effects of Cold Weather on Insects
Most insects perish during cold weather. However, in their final days, they complete their one true mission: reproduction. They do this by laying eggs in isolated places and providing their larvae with food to survive the cold. A good example is the field cricket.
Other insects, such as Monarch butterflies, migrate from a place when winter approaches. They reproduce in warmer temperatures towards the south and then send their offspring back to continue the cycle.
If your house isn’t infested by insects during the winter, you still might not be in the clear. Most of them are huddled together, trying to keep warm. Even though termites limit their activity significantly and bury themselves in the wood in your home, they continue to work bit by bit to keep the queen happy.
Other insects like cockroaches become more of a nuisance during winter. They find safe spaces to keep themselves warm and bury themselves in food, cabinets, or places where daylight reaches. Centipedes, too, need to protect themselves from the cold, and there’s nothing more they love than your damp basement!
Effects of Hot Weather on Insects
According to the weather website AccuWeather, warm weather increases the metabolic rate of insects and causes bugs to invade homes and gardens in search of food. With a rise in rain as well, you’ll likely notice an increase in mosquitos, stink bugs, roaches, and termites.
Usually, insects tend to multiply as soon as summer hits, and it starts getting warm. You’ll find that flies multiply quickly in hot weather. Their eggs, which normally take 20 hours to hatch, start to hatch within 8 hours.
Wasps and hornets tend to get aggressive in extreme heat as they search for moisture. Yellowjackets thrive and multiply more quickly in dry, hot conditions. It only takes them a week to double in size. Hence, this makes them more likely to sting.
While mosquitoes are known to be more active in summer, they dry out and die if it gets too hot. According to AccuWeather, mosquitoes thrive in wet, hot climates, and it’s not just the current forecast that brings them out. A location’s weather patterns over the past several months can determine how many mosquitoes emerge.
Pest problem? Modern can handle it! Call 800-323-7378 now.
Effects of Moisture on Insects
Most insects love moisture. When there are leaks from plumbing, excessive water damage in cellars, or poor ventilation in bathrooms, bugs tend to appear out of nowhere and thrive. Termites, for example, live and work in moist places. This is especially bad when the wood in your house has moisture trapped in it. Carpenter ants, too, thrive in moisture. They lay their eggs in wet, rotten wood.
If your walls and floors have dampness, water stains, peeling paint, or rust on exposed metal parts, you may have potential water penetration. You also need to look out for rotten wood paneling and doors, loose floor tiles, and mildew stains as these are the things that attract insects.
Powderpost beetles have specific moisture requirements for survival and development. Most beetles do not develop in wood with a moisture content below 15%. Ants, springtails, silverfish, booklice, termites, and wood-boring beetles can be found thriving in moist environments. You can use dehumidifiers to dry out a structure in your home so that pests do not reside in it, and fungi and molds are not produced.
Effects of Rain on Insects
Rain also impacts the natural habitat insects. Many insects that live underground get flooded out of their homes in heavy rain. They start to evacuate to higher ground to take shelter. Ants, for example, are known to build complicated tunnels underground. The rain drives them out of their homes as they seek shelter elsewhere. This means you may find lines of ants crawling into your warm home or dry spaces where they can find food and shelter.
Rodents like mice and rats also seek shelter in warm and dry places. While some pests enjoy moisture, this only lasts until their homes are damaged. Pests such as earwigs and springtails normally thrive in dark, damp areas, but tend to be driven indoors when the rain gets heavy. When it starts to rain, it’s a good idea to keep windows and doors closed so that your safe space doesn’t become a home to these insects.
Mosquitoes thrive and breed in the rain. They lay their eggs near the slightest amount of water, which is why standing water, such as puddles, flower pots, birdbaths, and clogged gutters can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Be sure to eliminate any standing water on your property and remove things that can contain it.
The Modern Solution
Regardless of the weather, you have to protect your home from all kinds of insect infestations. Insects and rodents can seek shelter inside your home without you ever knowing. All they need is a tiny crack in the siding, foundation, or space around the pipes. Once there, these pests will stay long-term, find food easily, and start to multiply, increasing threats of disease and damage in your home.
To ensure that your property remains pest-free in all weather conditions, call Modern Pest at 800-323-7378 today. We look forward to solving your pest issues!