Why Are Pests More Active In Summer?
10 Reasons Why Pests Love Summer Season
Summer is peak season when we see an increase in pest activity. As temperatures rise and conditions become more favorable, many insect species, ants, rodents, and wildlife become more active and noticeable around homes and gardens. But what exactly makes summer months the prime time for pests?
Here are the top 10 reasons:
1. Warmer Temperature
Hot temperatures make cold-blooded creatures, like insect populations, healthier and stronger. The heat helps speed up their bodies and lets them move around more to search for food and water. Warm weather also lets pesky pests reproduce and lay eggs faster, so their families get bigger.
2. Increased Food Supply
In the summer, flowers bloom and plants grow lots of yummy fruits and vegetables that pests love to munch on. Bees and adult wasps feast on nectar from flowers and vegetables in gardens. Rats and mice eat fallen fruit from trees and waste in the trash can. An abundance of food helps them multiply over the summer.
3. Higher Humidity
Hot and humid air is perfect for many pests, especially moisture-loving cockroaches and mold. Sticky, wet air keeps their bodies from drying out so they stay healthy. Humidity helps bugs breed easily too. The dampness lets eggs and babies develop safely.
4. Longer Daylight Hours
Long warm days give daylight pests more hours to search for the things they need, like food and water. Bugs that sleep at night can buzz around for longer when the sun stays up late. Extra hours mean they can cover more ground and take what they need.
5. Increased Human Activity
People cook out, leave windows open, and eat outdoors more when it’s nice out. Kids play on swing sets and pets spend summery days in the yard. All this time outdoors gives pests a chance to find their way into your property or nibble on tasty treats humans leave for them by accident!
6. Seasonal Migration
When it gets hot out, a few types of pests like stink bugs begin long summer journeys to find better habitats with what they require. They travel far by car, bus and airplane in luggage and cargo. Some even ride along on people’s clothing! New places can mean new pest problems.
7. Breeding Season Peak
Summer is baby-making season for most outdoor pests. Hot weather signals it’s time to lay eggs by the hundreds! Take mosquitoes, for example. A single female mosquito can lay up to 500 eggs every two weeks during summer. No wonder population growth to swamp sizes so fast!
8. Increased Water Sources
Summertime brings rain showers that leave puddles of standing water behind. People also turn on their sprinklers more to keep lawns green. Both provide the perfect breeding spots for mosquitoes to lay eggs. Ticks and fleas flourish in damp grass and soil. Rats hit up spilled sprinkler puddles to get drinks.
9. Less Competition
Sometimes, nature keeps pests under control with predators like birds that eat stinging insects. But smaller predator numbers in summer mean less enemies hunting down critters. People also use fewer pesticides on plants once crops are harvested. With less predators and poisons, summer pests can grow without check!
10. Optimal Soil Conditions
Hot sun bakes the soil, warming it up just the way underground pests like grubs, beetles and worms prefer. They burrow deep to escape heat above ground. Rain keeps dirt moist too, which subterranean termites love because it helps them move through soil faster. Perfect breeding conditions down below ground allow pests there to thrive!
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do to pest-proof my home before summer?
Seal any cracks, holes or gaps in your home’s exterior. Install weather stripping around doors and windows. Repair window screens. Eliminate moisture issues like leaks or stagnant water. Trim back vegetation touching the structure. Keep all areas clean and free of clutter that could shelter invaders. Consider preventative perimeter treatments in spring before pest population peaks in early summer.
Should I expect more pest issues each warmer month?
In most regions and conditions, yes – warm seasons bring prime circumstances that allow pest pressure and damage risks to climb year after year. Monitor your home’s status closely, especially over the hottest and most humid months. Maintain preventative protection for vulnerable areas and proactively address signs of encroaching invaders immediately. Don’t enable seasonal pests to establish strongholds as seasonal populations explode!
How can I safely manage summer pest infestations?
Multiple prevention methods are key for effective and eco-friendly pest control: sanitation, exclusion, biological controls and physical kills where appropriate. Only consider targeted chemical treatments from licensed pest control experts for serious seasonal pest challenges that evade other control tactics. Overall, to keep pests at bay, requires diligent monitoring, strategic prevention, and prompt professional pest control services to address advanced infestations before they overwhelm your landscape and environment.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, summer gives pests some major perks over spring and fall! Heat, availability of food sources, humidity and other things combine for a perfect pest playground.
Stop creepy crawlies before they party all season by taking away things they need to grow.
Fix pest problems at the source!
