Late Summer Pest Alert

Spiders in late summer

We're often asked, "Why do I have so many spiders toward the end of summer?" Most spiders will only live one year. They hatch in the spring, grow to sexual maturity during the summer, and search for a mate at the end of summer. They want to mate and lay eggs before winter because the eggs can survive the colder temperatures. As long as we don't have unseasonably warm winter days, the eggs will stay dormant until spring, and the cycle will start over.

Wasps in late summer

At the end of summer, wasp stings are more common. Why do more people get stung at the end of summer? Here are a few reasons:

• Typically, only wasp queens survive the winter. Therefore, wasp populations are lower in the spring. Since there are fewer wasps, fewer people are stung.
• During the summer months, wasp populations grow. At the end of the summer, nests are maxed out. With more wasps around, more people are stung.
• Wasp nests in late summer are more of a threat as they are filled with wasps, and social wasps have a nest-protection instinct.
• In late summer and early fall, wasps are more aggressive as they busily gather resources for newly hatched female reproductives, which will be next year's queens. Getting the future queens ready to overwinter is essential for the species' survival, so wasps take it very seriously.

If you're reading this in late summer, watch for wasp activity. These stinging pests are abundant, temperamental, and easily provoked.

Mosquitoes in late summer

Throughout the summer months, mosquitoes are annoying. They are equally irritating when we get into late summer—if not more annoying. How are they sometimes a bit more? When we get lots of rain, mosquitoes are worse. Here's why:

• Most mosquitoes breed in stagnant water left after rainstorms.
• Mosquitoes rise from puddles and other water sources after about a week and a half of development in the stagnant water.
• When mosquitoes emerge from puddles, the females immediately search for blood to fertilize their eggs and lay them.
• Finding damp landscaping helps mosquitoes survive.
• Finding more puddles helps mosquitoes lay more eggs and increase their numbers.
• A female mosquito lays a hundred eggs at a time.

You can deter mosquitoes by removing stagnant water resources and altering conditions that capture water. For increased protection, routine mosquito treatments can give you significant mosquito population control. 

Ants and roaches in late summer

Mosquitoes aren't the only pests impacted by rainstorms. Damp conditions can also impact ants and cockroaches. Moist fall weather with rain can drive ants into structures, and sustained moisture increases the cockroach population's growth.

What can you do about late summer pests?   

Step one is to reduce moisture and control damp conditions. We touched on this in the section regarding mosquitoes. But along with addressing moisture, you'll also need to apply other general pest management. Here are some suggestions:

• Most spiders create webs, and inside them, they generate egg sacs. Removing webs and destroying egg sacs will reduce spider activity in late summer and the coming spring.
• Overwintering wasp queens will start looking for a way into your home. Repair screens to prevent them from entering.
• To manage mosquito populations, you can remove water resources and address their primary food source. It is not commonly understood, but mosquitoes survive on nectar and plant sap, not blood. Often, weed management in a lawn can impact mosquito populations.
• Fix your damp crawl space, as it will attract insects and rodents, too.
• Ants and cockroaches are deterred by weather and pest-proofing. Inspect the exterior of your home and seal your exterior entryways to help keep these pests out.