Depending on the temperature, mosquitoes can become less active and die if the mercury gets cold enough.
The spirit of the fall season is underway, and while many associate spiders with Halloween, there is actually more to the life cycle of these arachnids and their fellow bugs than meets the eye.
Experts at Pestie, a subscription-based pest control service, warn that in addition to real-life spiders, creepy crawlers such as ants, stink bugs, cockroaches and others may be trying to work their way into homes in preparation for the winter months.
“The fall time is when a lot of insects are starting to look for their winter homes. Often the bugs are nearing a state called diapause, which is kind of like hibernation,” Becca Tellar, a customer service manager and bug aficionado at Pestie, told FOX Weather.
Tellar said that, especially during the cooler fall nights, homes continue to produce radiant heat, which serves as a welcoming mat for insects.
Many bugs are cold-blooded, or ectothermic, meaning their temperature is regulated by the environment rather than by internal functions.
“They’re going to be looking for those cracks in your home and your foundation, and they’re going to be there all winter to stay safe,” Tellar stated.
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Many bugs and insects follow the same temperature patterns of mosquitoes, which become more lethargic the closer the thermometer gets to around 50 degrees.
Bug experts say that reaching the freezing mark all but destroys populations of pests that aren’t protected from the elements; hence, the reason homes and businesses become primary targets.
“We’ll get like a 60-degree day here in Utah, and the bugs will just literally be out for a day. And it’s pretty miraculous that they can essentially turn on and off,” Tellar remarked. “They don’t have a calendar that says it’s past time for them to go hibernate. They’re really following the temperatures and the weather and when the patterns change over time.”
Conversely, bug activity tends to increase earlier each year due to milder winters and warmer starts to spring.
“Most people do have that reactionary mindset where if they see bugs, they then want to treat. And that’s a great place to start. We encourage our customers to stay on a schedule unlike the bugs, so that they don’t see them in places they don’t want to,” said Tellar.
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As the holiday season approaches, the bug expert warned against using paper or cardboard boxes for storage, as the materials used in their construction can attract bugs such as cockroaches and silverfish.
Furthermore, many species of bugs thrive in dark, damp environments, where storage boxes are commonly found.
The pest control company advises customers to use plastic containers with lids to store holiday decorations in order to minimize the risk of attracting insects.