Why Are Home Pests a Recurrent Seasonal Issue? From Fleas to Mice

Why do certain pests always seem to return at different times of year? This is because pest activity is intimately connected to seasonal changes in temperature, moisture and food availability.  In today’s blog we will be looking into the trends of various pests to understand why they are a recurrent seasonal issue.

Spring

Spring is associated with rising temperatures and the reemergence of plants however it also represents the re-emergence of pests. During spring many pests emerge from a dormancy period caused by the cold. They abandon their winter shelter and start looking for food and potential nesting locations which may lead them into your yard or your home. Many pests also reproduce in the spring, leading to an increased pest population. Pests that have the most activity in spring are ants, termites, wasps, bees and rodents.

Summer

Summer is one of the most active times of year for pests with warmer temperatures and ready availability of food causing their reproduction to go into overdrive. We are also outside more often during the summer, so we are more likely to be affected by the presence of pests. Some of the that are the most active during the summer months are mosquitoes, flies, bees, wasps, fleas, ticks and cockroaches.

Fall

Fall is a transitional time where plants start to die or go dormant and temperatures start to drop. During fall many pests that would be perfectly comfortable outside start looking for shelter and food that can see them through the winter, which often leads them to invade homes. Pests also become harder to detect in the fall as they spend far less time out in the open. The pests that you should most be on the alert for during fall are mice, rats, spiders, cockroaches and stink bugs.

Winter

While one might hope for some reprieve from pests in winter this is often when pests will become more active in your home. During winter pests will often escape worsening outdoor conditions by entering homes. Homes offer some notable advantages to pests during the winter months, they are often heated, and they contain potential food sources. They will often take up residence in out-of-the-way areas of your home like walls, attics or crawl spaces. Pests that you should be on the watch for in winter are mice, rats, cockroaches, silverfish and other insects that may have entered your home to hide from the cold.

We hope we have been able to enlighten you as to the behavior of many pests and why they often recur every year. If you have any questions about pest behavior or require professional pest control services, please feel free to contact us.

Gilpin’s Pest Control is a family-owned business operating on the Lower Mainland in Greater Vancouver and the BC Interior including Kamloops, Revelstoke, and Sicamous. After 35 years in the business, we do a stellar job and are proud of our rapid response time. 

If you have any questions about this article or you would like to talk to us about pest control needs, please call us toll-free at (800) 770-2428.