Hurricane Season Brings Insects, Not Just Storms!

Given the subtropical temperate weather that we experience most of the year, it’s not surprising that there are a lot of jokes about Florida having no seasons. Or that we have unusual seasons – tourist, gator or snowbird – especially here on the Gulf Coast.

But there is one season we have that certainly is no joke – Hurricane season. In recent years, things have felt a little flexible, date-wise. After all, we invented calendars to follow the weather, not the other way around. Officially, Hurricane season is June 1 to November 30.

In case you were wondering, forecasters are predicting another overly active season this year. The “average” season was just updated to 14 named storms and 7 hurricanes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says we’ll likely see 13-20 named storms. six to ten of which will become hurricanes, and three to four will be category three storms or worse.

Along with being prepared for high winds, rain, flood damage and potential loss of power and water for a few days to a few weeks, you should know Hurricane season also brings… well, more bugs.

Some of the insect interaction is simply poor timing. Love Bugs primarily mate from May into June and again in September, making a mess of the freeway and your car. No, they weren’t genetically engineered to combat mosquitoes. There’s also a rumor (theory?) that love bug activity can predict hurricane activity.

Regardless, it’s no speculation to say the daily rains that are part of Hurricane season also cause or attract more ants, mosquitoes, and termites!

Fire Ants

While we typically deal with ants, and the invasive Red Imported Fire Ants year round, they become a trickier problem once the rain starts to fall. One misstep is all it takes to be woken up to the painful sensation of being bitten by dozens of fire ants swarming around the ground near their nests.

But these fire ants are some of the most resilient insects around when it comes to rainfall. The rain itself doesn’t bother them. But once things start to flood, the entire colony can start moving for high and drier land – and that’s usually in your garage or home. During big hurricanes, these ants can even form living rafts, floating along with debris until they can make landfall.

And while fire ants are the biggest problem, they’re far from the only one. White footed ants, crazy ants, Argentine, Pharaoh and ghost ants are all variations that will invade your home. Imagine falling asleep watching a movie, only to wake up literally covered in ants moving in and out of your popcorn bowl. You’d probably freak out, right? Just don’t ask us how we came up with that example.

The more it rains, the more likely ants will be invading your home.

Mosquitoes

The life cycle of the mosquito is simple. They mate. The expectant mother mosquito bites a warm-blooded mammal (like us!) to feed her eggs. She lays the eggs in water. Water dries up. When the ground gets wet again, eggs hatch. More mosquitoes! Wash, rinse & repeat.

Of course, the typical Florida summer day includes rain for 30-90 minutes, then the sun comes back out and dries everything off. And then it rains again. Obviously, if the necessary wet-dry-wet cycle for mosquito life repeats almost every day, things are going to be accelerated.

Plus, carrying diseases like West Nile and Zika make mosquito bites more dangerous than an annoying itching spot. Thankfully, there is a way to actually transform those biting momma mosquitoes into vegans – and pass it on to their offspring. If you’d like to try it for yourself, you can check out our No Bite Zones technology here.

Termites

You might not have realized it, but the rainy season is one of the main reasons we have such a termite problem in Florida. You either have a home with termites or one that is going to get some. That’s because the wet wood makes it so much easier for the termites to eat and explore.

While we do also run into drywood termites, the majority of annual termite damage comes from subterranean termites. In fact, subterranean termites cause more damage than fires and floods combined!

As the name implies, these critters live underground, digging through the soil looking for food. And your house is a LOT of food. Once even one termite finds it, they make a feeding trail back to their colony. And soon, everyone’s coming by for the party!

The good news is, you can protect yourself with the help of professionals. Good News Pest Solutions offers very affordable termite protection. Our Term Assure 365 not only protects your home year round for termites and most other common insect pests, but it also comes with a $1-million termite damage repair warranty. That’s better than any homeowner’s policy – most of which don’t cover termite damage at all!

For the complete details and to schedule your free inspection prior to treatment, just give us a call!