Bugs love a tan! Our Spring/Summer Guide

As the weather becomes more pleasant, not only humans but also pests are eager to bask in the sunlight. Indeed, it’s common to spot bugs and rodents making the most of the favourable climate to rejuvenate.

If left unchecked, you might find yourself in a challenging situation. Certainly, you wouldn’t want to be unprepared when these pests decide to invade your summer festivities.

Why do bugs become more active in Spring and Summer?

Remembering your biology lessons, insects are ectothermic, meaning their body temperature is influenced by their surroundings. As the mercury rises in spring and summer, expect a surge in insect activity.

This explains why swarming pests might appear to besiege our homes and hinder our enjoyment of the sunny weather during spring and summer, which are typically filled with pleasant days. The bugs and rodents you encounter during these periods are overwintering pests, and you should be on alert as they emerge from their nests, hungry, mobile, and ready to mate!

When you venture into your yard on a beautiful spring or summer day, don’t be surprised to encounter a swarm of flies, mosquitoes, wasps, and spiders. Like you, they’re eager to enjoy the summer festivities and abundance! Unfortunately, their emergence to enjoy the weather means you’ll have to contend with uninvited guests at your outdoor picnic or summer party.

While spring and summer are enjoyable for most Australians, the accompanying pests can be a nuisance. You’ll encounter bees interrupting your barbecues, mosquitoes disrupting your sleep, and ants invading your pantry.

Given the significant inconvenience of warding off these pests, it’s prudent to prepare before these critters come to ruin the fun for you and your family. This means you need to identify the potential pests that might visit your property once spring and summer arrive.

Here are a few of the troublesome ones to watch out for:

Ants

While they already have a substantial population across the country, their numbers typically skyrocket during summer. They’re mostly found outdoors, but ants have no trouble entering homes, especially if they find a plentiful food source inside. The kitchen is usually their first stop.

A simple way to prevent them from invading the kitchen or pantry is to promptly and regularly clean up leftovers.

Flies

Flies are not only irritating but also dangerous. They feed indiscriminately, posing a health risk. The moment flies land on your food, it’s likely already contaminated with germs, as flies typically carry germs on their bodies.

One way to prevent flies from ruining your spring and summer gatherings is to keep food in covered containers. Clean up any food or drink spills on tables as these quickly attract these unsanitary insects.

Fleas

What’s most alarming about fleas is that they don’t appear individually. They arrive in large numbers, especially when spring and summer arrive. Why, you ask? That’s because the warm weather accelerates the maturation of their eggs and larvae.

Once they’re active, these blood-thirsty pests can be hard to spot. Because they’re difficult to see, they’re obviously even harder to kill. In this case, contacting a pest control expert would really protect you and your pets from flea attacks.

Mosquitoes

By now, you’re probably aware that these insects are among the most dangerous pests to humans. After all, they transmit some of the deadliest diseases we know today (e.g., Dengue fever, Zika virus, Malaria, dysentery, etc.)

Be aware that mosquitoes target you and your pets first in the spring, and it worsens as summer progresses. During warm seasons, more mosquito eggs hatch and their larvae grow faster. This accelerated growth naturally results in a population explosion.

Rodents

Mice and rats chew anything they can get their teeth on, including furniture, wires, fabrics, and food. And during spring and summer, rodents are programmed to become particularly active in preparation for the next winter. If you ignore them, you might end up spending the good weather repairing various property damage.

Rats and mice aren’t the only vermin to watch out for. There are also possums, which can be a problem. Possums might seem cute at first glance, but they can actually bring ticks and fleas into your home, which is why you need to keep them away from your property as much as possible.

As a preventive measure against rodents, always cover bins as these attract rats, mice, and possums alike. Also, seal holes and other potential entry points that rodents can use to enter your house.

Bees

Bees search for pollen around plants in the garden during spring and summer. As they become more active in their quest for food, you’ll soon find them swarming places where they can potentially establish new hives. If they find your property suitable, you and your family members need to be extra careful not to disturb their nest and get stung!

If you don’t want your pool party or outdoor picnic ruined by the presence of angry, stinging bees, call professional pest exterminators immediately.

Don’t Let Pests Ruin Your Summer Fun Before the great weather fully arrives, be smart and have the contact details of pest control professionals handy in case any of these unwelcome creatures decide to invade your yard. Have them inspect your property for vulnerabilities to potential pest infestations so you can spend the rest of spring and summer soaking up as much sun as possible!