How Spring Rainfall Can Affect Pests

By Author: Stephanie Larkin
Total Articles: 12
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After lying dormant all winter, most insects and other pests will be making a full comeback once spring arrives. The weather that you experience during the spring can greatly affect the pests that you see in and around your home, both in the number that you see and how aggressively they try to find their way into your house or apartment. One of the key elements in this is rainfall, as having too much or too little rain during the spring can result in some very tenacious pests.

If there is an average amount of rainfall in the spring, the number of insects and other pests can increase significantly. Water is an important part of the life cycle, so the rainfall that generally accompanies the shift of weather from the cold of winter to the heat of summer lets pest populations thrive. Unfortunately you can also expect to see more pests in your home as they try to spread out and find food beyond their immediate environment; competition among the individual insects and pests will be higher, so they will attempt to locate food in new locations.

Infestations can get even worse is there's an excessive amount of rainfall, ...
... especially when it comes to ants or other insects which make nests underground. Large quantities of rain means that the insect communities will flood, and while the majority of insects won't drown immediately from this flooding they'll seek to escape from it all the same. This means that they'll be looking for someplace that's dry and warm with an abundant supply of food... chances are your house will be exactly what they're looking for.

Dry weather won't necessarily save you from having to deal with pests, of course. If there isn't a lot of rainfall then moisture will be a priority for the various pest communities. This can lead them to your yard if you have sprinklers, rain collection, decorative fountains, or even a leaky hose nozzle that tends to leave a puddle underneath it. Even if you don't have an excess if water in your yard or around your house, some insects may find their way into your house in search of the water that their community needs. This can lead to infestations that center around sinks, potted plants, or even pet food and water dishes.

Should the lack of rainfall be substantial, you might be facing even larger infestations. Insect and pets communities will dwindle as less are born and quite a few will die off, but the survivors will become even more determined to make it through the drought so that the colony will survive. They will be more aggressive in their efforts to find water, so if they find their way into your house you might see even greater numbers than you would normally.

Even if you're facing a cool spring with moderate amounts of rainfall then you won't
necessarily be protected from pest invasions. Should the rain and clouds help to keep the average temperatures a bit on the low side, most pests will be looking for someplace warmer because the cool weather will cause them to be sluggish. Once again, your house can seem like the perfect location for them since compared to the cool earth and air outside the indoors will be like a tropical paradise. Infestations may not be as large as with some of the other weather conditions because not as many pests will be out searching for food, water, and warmth, but if an infestation begins the insects may continue to trickle in for quite some time.

You don't have to just accept these conditions without a fight, of course. As spring begins to set in you should look for any cracks or obvious entrances to your house and seal them off. You might also consider contacting a professional exterminator to come and pre-treat portions of your home in order to set up a pest boundary in various rooms and around your foundation.

Keep an eye on weather conditions and try to determine exactly what pests will be looking for, and then watch those areas for signs of infestation. Depending on the type of pest that tries to invade your home there are a number of traps, baits, and other products available to help you control and eliminate any pest invasion. Just remember that depending on conditions there might be several waves of pest invaders and that you may need to continue setting up baits and traps for several weeks to ensure that they're all gone.

About Author:
Stephanie Larkin is a freelance writer who writes about large businesses for home owners such as Orkin and Terminix. http://www.terminixsvc.com