If you feel that you are seeing more insects or spiders around your home now that it is spring, it is not your imagination. These pests’ activity declines remarkably in the winter and increases in the spring, to the point where you may find yourself in need of residential pest control if they get into your house. Here are some reasons why you are observing more pest activity in the spring.

The Weather Warms Up

Insects and spiders do not have the ability to regulate their bodies’ temperature as warm-blooded animals, including humans, do. When the weather turns colder, some of them die of hypothermia. Some, such as the monarch butterfly, migrate to warmer climates during the winter. Others find a place to keep warm through the winter. Most enter a state called diapause in which their bodies become dormant until the temperature is more favourable. Diapause is different from hibernation in that insects can enter it any time their climate becomes unfavourable. Only warm-blooded animals can be said to hibernate, and hibernation can only occur during the winter.

In the spring, temperatures start to rise. This warms up the bodies of the insects and spiders in diapause and cues them to come out of their dormant state. As they become active again and start looking for food, you may start seeing more of them.

Pests Are Reproducing

You may start seeing more insects and spiders around during spring because there are literally more of them. Different species of pests have different mating seasons. Some mate and lay eggs in spring, and their eggs hatch shortly thereafter. Others lay eggs in the fall that don’t hatch until spring.

In the spring, well-established carpenter ant colonies produce a generation of winged ants called swarmers. Their job is to mate and create new colonies elsewhere. If even one winged swarmer gets into your house, you may need carpenter ant pest control in Haldimand-Norfolk if it starts a nest and lays eggs. Carpenter ants can cause property damage by tunnelling through wood.

Pests Are Looking for Food

Insects and spiders that enter diapause spend months on end without eating. They don’t need to eat when dormant, but once the temperature warms up and they become active again, they need to start looking for food. This is one reason why you might see them flying around or, in the case of spiders, building webs.

The quest for food may draw insects indoors, especially ants, which love to eat the leftovers of the sweet and protein-rich foods that humans often consume. The presence of insects may draw spiders, which feed on insects. If you have a problem with spiders in your home, chances are good that you have an underlying insect infestation. If you don’t see the insects, it means the spiders are doing a good job of keeping their numbers down.

Your Home May Provide Easy Access

You may have cracks in your home’s exterior, gaps around windows or doors, or other openings that allow insects and other pests to get inside your home easily. Repairing or sealing these cracks can prevent pests from getting in and causing an infestation. Because insects are so small, you have to be thorough in sealing off their potential entryways.

You Haven’t Called Truly Nolen for Residential Pest Control

Truly Nolen has been providing pest control services for decades. Because changes in weather and temperature provoke changes in the behaviour of insects and spiders, we have developed a Four Seasons approach to pest control that prevents them from getting into your home in addition to removing the ones that may be already there. Contact us for an initial inspection.