Weather and its Impact on Pests

We know that weather and seasonal changes affect human behavior and outside activities, so it’s no big surprise that heat and cold, along with dry and wet conditions also affect pest populations. While seasonal changes can be subtle in the South Florida; these changes can send pests looking for shelter of your home from adverse outdoor conditions.

Dry weather

Like most life forms, most pests need water to survive. In order to reproduce and thrive, pests need to locate water, when natural sources run dry, due to dry weather intervals or when construction activities compromise habitats, pests search for a water source.  Your home could be on their top ten lists of the most likely places to find a consistent water source. Just the water in your backyard from pools, pool toys and other kids’ toys can be an oasis for a lot of pests. Mosquitoes need stagnant water to lay eggs. Leaky faucets, birdbaths and pet water bowls in your yard can help foster a lively mosquito presence on your property.

Flooding

Although water, in the form of rain, can nourish the landscape and help plants grow, too much rain can cause some pests, such as ants to join together to make a floating ant raft to ride out floods. Good for the ants, but not so much for you, should your home be at the end of the raft ride.

Suddenly, you have an ant issue, when before your property was ant-free. Also, when ant nests flood, ants seek higher ground, like your home to get out of excessive water.

Too much rain can cause palmetto bugs, those larger than life cockroaches, to seek shelter in dry places to avoid drowning. Most cockroaches like warm and wet places to hide out for the winter, including crawlspaces, drains, pipes, foundations and sewers. As long as these hideouts don’t flood, cockroaches tend to thrive in warm places with high humidity. However, when these places flood, cockroaches try to head inside your home to survive. Once inside your home, cockroaches can be difficult to eliminate as these pests reproduce at rapid rates.

Rain and humidity

Rainy periods and higher humidity make ideal conditions for pests to thrive and multiply. This can cause large pest populations to seek food from other sources to feed extra mouths. Ants foraging through your kitchen or forming lines going up walls can be an indication of an ant infestation. While most ants are classified as nuisance pests, they can be difficult to eliminate with DIY methods and sprays. Contact a professional pest control company, such as Hulett, to target the network of ant nests below the ground. Classified as destructive pests, termites can also invade homes where damp and deteriorating wood or wood to ground contact occurs. Termites should be handled by a pest professional as soon as you suspect termite activity is underway in your home.

The Bottom Bine

Whatever the weather, pests seem to find some reason to invade your home. That’s why, particularly in South Florida, where many different kinds of pests thrive, it’s important to protect your home and loved ones year-round from pests entering your home.  Hulett’s Healthy Home programs are designed to create a pest protection barrier around your property. We guarantee you’ll be satisfied as a Hulett Healthy Home client. Remember: Prevention is way better than eliminating an infestation. Contact Hulett to schedule a free pest inspection. Just call Hulett!