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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 pesky 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 insects’ population, and hence their infestation into your home.

 

Effects of Cold Weather on Insects

Most insects perish during the cold. 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 includes the field cricket.

 

Other insects, such as the 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 you don’t find your house infested by insects during the winter, don’t be fooled. 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

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. Prepare to be irritated by flies always buzzing by your head!

 

Wasps and hornets tend to get aggressive in extreme heat as they search for moisture. Yellowjackets thrive and multiply quicker 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 more definitely known to be more active in summers, they dry out and die if it gets too hot and warm. The heat causes them to reproduce at once so that their breed does not cease from existence. Some mosquitoes which do not die because of the heat will start to become lazy and less active. This means that even if you catch them feeding, they will be slow to fly away so you can quickly get rid of them. However, be careful as mosquitoes are infected with germs and diseases.

 

Effects of Moisture on Insects

Insects love moisture. This way whenever there are leaks from pipes and toilets or 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 worse 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 a 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.

 

Powder Post Beetles develop in the moisture content of 15% or higher and then start damaging the wood in your house. Decaying fungi, mold, 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 calls for picnics, barbecues, and quick trips to the lake. However, rain also impacts the natural habitat. Many insects that live underground get flooded out of their homes in heavy rain. They start to evacuate to higher grounds 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 homes or dry spaces where food and sweets are stored.

Rodents such as mice, rats, and moles also seek shelter in warm and dry places. While some pests enjoy moisture, this only lasts until their homes are not entirely swept away. Pests such as earwigs and springtails normally thrive in dark, damp areas, tend to be driven indoors when the rain gets heavy. This is why whenever it starts to rain, make sure to spray your house down and keep the windows and doors closed so that your safe space doesn’t become a home to these insects.

Don’t forget that not all insects hate the rain; in fact, some are fond of it! 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.

 

How You Can Protect Your Home from Infestations

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 where the pipes are. Once there, these pests will stay long-term, find food easily (your kitchen!), and start to multiply, increasing threats of diseases and illnesses in your home.

To ensure that your property remains pest-free in all weather conditions, contact AntsPlus today for a free quote!