Every year the National Pest Management Association releases a concise image of the United States, showing the likely patterns we can expect of pests on Pestworld.org. A lot of it involves watching the winter season's weather and comparing it to the known life cycles of common pests. Considering the strange and erratic weather we have experienced in North Carolina, this year's Bug Barometer is sure to have some unique news.
Tracking Bug Culture & Life Cycles
The image shows the United States and gives a winter recap on every region. Then attempts to predict what we can expect in each region based on local bug culture and life cycles. Go-Forth Home Services is dedicated to staying up to date and informing you on what to expect and how to prepare for these pesky situations. For these purposes, we're going to focus mostly on the Southeast region of the graphic.
For the Southeast, the graphic says: States hit with heavy rainfall may see mosquito populations earlier in the spring than in previous years. The rain will also provide ideal conditions for subterranean termites.
Mosquitoes prefer breeding in or around standing water, which is why you can expect them to appear sooner this year. There are studies that show that their first pick for breeding is in man-made containers with standing water. This means anything in your backyard that may serve to collect water--intentional or not--should be regularly checked or moved to avoid collecting water. Subterranean termites are pests that do not hibernate and are often an unexpected pest to deal with during the winter season. As the name would indicate, these termites make their colonies underground and burrow into your home to turn it into the colony meal. With the high rates of rain we have seen, this makes the soil easier for them to travel through, and quicker to get inside your home.