Posted in [Misc] By Venus Pest
Last year we made 6 predictions for pest activity we thought would happen during 2012. While we got most right in last year’s outlook, we missed on a couple…but not by much! As always, there will be some pest or pests that erupt this year as the worst thing we’ve ever seen. Here’s our educated guesses for what we think will be the worst of pests in 2013.
Biting Gnats
These little devils were such a problem that last few years, we thought we should address them this year. There are many species, some of which develop in damp muddy soil and shallow water, and their bites leave you swollen and itching. Some folks think they have small mosquitoes biting them, but they turn out to be biting gnats. During our severe drought situations there were A LOT of areas were normally completely submerged that turned into ideal breeding grounds for biting gnats. Because we have had so much more rainfall recently, most of those areas are submerged again. Thus, we don’t believe we will see as much of a problem with biting gnats in 2013, but they’ll still be there!
Millipedes, earwigs, and pillbugs
Last year we thought there might be a chance of these guys building up late in the year. Well it didn’t happen then, but we are now seeing large numbers of pillbugs and millipedes on our service calls now. Even though we are technically still in a drought based on rainfall averages, the amount of rainfall that we have seen all winter makes us believe that conditions will be right for these moisture loving pests to flourish. Calls for control of these pests will be up in 2013 over last year.
Scorpions
I have to admit, I have seen a couple of these guys in my own house already in 2013. My wife has threatened to call another pest control company if I don’t get us on schedule! Just like the last 2 years, scorpions should continue be a significant problem in 2013 because we haven’treally had harsh winter conditions to minimize their numbers..
Spiders
Last year, we thought spiders would be the main scourge of the year. We missed that one a bit, but we think by only one year. Wasps are spiders’ main predators and their population still has not recovered from the drought like conditions the last couple years. We are seeing a lot of spiders at our service calls early this year and they will only explode from there. Get ready to spend all year wiping webs off your face.
Mosquitoes
We nailed this one last year predicting more mosquitoes and a lot more West Nile Virus, not to sound excited about bad news. The huge spike in West Nile Virus human cases to 1729 in 2012 was way above what should be expected with the normal cyclic activity of a disease. If you live around the Dallas area, you “felt the sting” on this last year. We won’t see those kinds of numbers in 2013, but West Nile Virus will still be a big deal in 2013, with many human cases. Without a doubt, there will be plenty of mosquitoes to drive you crazy this year and they will be a problem as early as mid February since it’s so warm.
Grasshoppers and Crickets
This is one we got right last year too. It is common for crickets to be a huge problem the year after a drought and that’s exactly what happened in 2012. We will not see the same thing in 2013. Many fewer crickets will be around and grasshoppers will be moderate, but probably not until late in the summer.
Fire Ants
One weird thing we have seen already this year is foraging fire ants. Typically, they feed on stored food until mid or late March, even if it’s warm. We think that might indicate early reproduction and movement based on the light winter. The result? Tons of fire ants by Mid-Summer. We were pretty darn accurate with our predictions last year, so do not take this lightly! Call the best pest control company around if you become a part of 2013’s pest scourge! Leave a comment about what you think we can expect in 2013!
