Some pests are known as seasonal invaders and others simply display their behaviors more prominently in one season over others. In order to mitigate the problems before they arrive, it is beneficial to know how the common pests relate to each season. Here are the pest problems categorized by season.
Spring
For most pests, spring is the time of rejuvenation and rebuilding numbers. Some pests are coming out of overwintering mode and others remain active to partially active over the winter. Regardless of their individual behavior, this is the time to build up numbers and develop their strongholds.
Ants
Springtime is one of the hot times for ants. Replenishing winter depleted stores and building up colonies is the name of the game. They will come out in full force and invade places that haven’t seen ants in months. They may be scouting, gathering food, or looking for shelter.
Bed Bugs
Even though they live in areas sheltered from the outside temperatures, bed bugs have spring spikes. These spikes are associate with major travel dates such as spring break. Anytime someone is traveling, bed bugs are looking for a ride to their new home.
Bees
With flowers blooming, bees are hard at work gathering nectar and pollinating flowers, trees, and crops.
Box Elder Bugs
These pests love to winter inside of wall voids and behind the siding. In the spring they will be seen moving toward the warmth that wakes them up. Oftentimes this is the sunny side of the home, but a warm furnace blowing heated air through the home can lead them in the wrong direction.
Centipedes![image of a bug]()
As they leave their overwintering sites, they will place eggs in soil that is damp. Lucky for them, this is a great time of year to find suitable soil
Crickets
Nymphs that overwintered come out and begin developing. It will be late spring before the adults come out to sing their soothing songs.
Cockroaches
Depending on species, but the ones of the highest pest status are consistent throughout the year.
Earwigs
Earwigs dig their way to the surface from their overwintering locations to forage for food. They often go unnoticed in the spring with nocturnal behavior and lower populations as they rebuild numbers.
Millipedes
Millipedes depend on decaying organic matter. Spring thaws and rains tend to provide excellent breeding and feeding grounds for these pests.
Mosquitoes
Once the temperatures rise above 50 degrees, mosquitoes start to boom. Their quick life cycle allows them to be significantly repopulated within a few weeks of warm temperatures.
Rodents
Rodents are active and noticeable in the springtime. Warmer temperatures can make it easier for populations to adjusting nesting sites or expand to new locations. As food becomes more plentiful outside, populations can grow indoors as well as out. Damage done by voles in lawns will be most evident after the snow melts.
Spiders
These predatory creatures follow the food. As more flying creatures become active webs will sprout up in places where they can intercept a tasty snack.
Ticks
Ticks come out in full force in the winter. Warm temperatures make the transfer from host to host much easier. Nymph ticks and adults seem to increase as rapidly as the vegetation.
Wasps
in the springtime involve the queens coming out of their overwintering sites to build nests and restart their colonies.
Summer
High temperatures, plentiful food, and more time to have built up populations make summer the prime time for pest activity.
Ants
Warmer temperatures will push some colonies inside and others find enough shade from trees and ground vegetation.
Bed Bugs
These parasites have the most opportunity for hitchhiking and spreading their parasitic affection during the warm months. Increases in travel including visits to friends and family may increase the opportunities for bed bugs to find a new home. In addition, people are more likely to pick up used furniture from unproven locations in the summer.
Bees
In the late spring and early summer, honey bees will exhibit swarming behavior. It is not overly common, but is not a threat. If they do decide to take up residence in a wall void, contacting a beekeeper is best.
Box Elder Bugs
These black and orange flutterers can be seen in their mid nymph and adult stages as the summer progresses. They start out as small and red, but their wing pads turn them mostly black on top as they develop.
Centipedes
Centipedes will be found in dark and moist areas where they can hunt other food. They will begin to make their way inside of homes more as dryness and or high temperatures push them to the protection of a structure. Typically house centipedes will seek structural protection and the smaller legged centipedes will burrow under rocks and other protection.
Crickets
These proud musicians are in full orchestra during the summer. Their songs may find their way into garages and basements during this time.
Cockroaches
Roaches will be in full force whether they are primarily structural or outside roaches.
Earwigs
These despised crawlers are typically going to hide out in dark and moist places during the day. In the evenings, they may be drawn to lights in porch and patio settings.
Millipedes
As the weather gets progressively warm, millipedes tend to penetrate areas deeper and deeper to find the still moist and decaying organic matter. In some instances, using up food supplies may lead to millipedes pouring out over a significant portion of time looking for new food sources.
Mosquitoes
The highest population points typically occur during the summer. They will be thickest near breeding sites and the cover of foliage. When temperatures are cooler in the mornings and evenings, some mosquitoes will venture out farther to seek food and blood meals. This can be accentuated by growing population pressures.
Rodents
Rodents typically move to the back of the mind during the summer. Warmer temperatures allow them to find plenty of food outside and move freely to find nesting sites that minimize predatory threats and maximize access to resources.
Spiders
Year-round hunters do especially well in the summer. Their populations flourish as the insects around them expand numbers. The more food, the more spiders will come.
Ticks
Ticks not only have a high population in the summertime, but they also tend to have more critters running about to feed on. As they feed on a traveling small animal, they may drop off and establish in new places.
Wasps
In the summer colonies will continue to expand and new colonies will get established. They will be busy hunting for food and building materials. Proteins and sugars especially sugary liquids will bring them into sight.
Fall
Shifting temperatures signal populations to migrate, seek shelter, prepare for the winter, or change behaviors.
Ants
Ants are sensitive to areas that will provide protection from the fall weather as well as provide food. Manmade structures are warm, dry, and typically have some sort of food.
Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs find different opportunities for hitchhiking in the fall. More jackets, coats, bags, and backpacks mean more places to hide and take a ride.
Bees
Bees continue their summer labor gathering nectar in preparation for the cold months to come.
Box Elder Bugs
Box Elder Bugs are best known for fall behavior. As temperatures drop, their overwintering mechanism kicks in. They will swarm homes especially targeting the south and west walls for warmth from the sun. In the day they are likely to spread out over the face of the warm wall. In the evening, they drop down into protected areas where they can spend the chilly night in a box elder conglomerate.
Centipedes
Centipedes are on the hunt and will find warm temperatures where they are protected as well as their food source.
Crickets
Crickets are quite boisterous in the fall as they search for a mate and lay eggs.
Roaches
Cockroaches are largely centered around food, but fall’s crisp temperatures often inspire increased structural heating. Since cockroaches thrive in warm environments, the increased heat flow is a welcomed shift over the flow of air conditioning.
Earwigs
Earwigs dig down into the earth in the autumn below the frost line to survive the winter.
Millipedes
Millipedes are known for migration in the fall. With leaves falling and more organic matter decaying than normal, fall just may be a millipede’s favorite time of year.
Mosquitoes
As temperatures drop below 50 degrees, most mosquitoes start to go into overwintering phases and will be far less active and will become less and less noticeable.
Rodents
Decreasing temperatures lead rodent populations to shift. Large populations may branch out. Some pleasant summer nesting spots become less hospitable. The more uncomfortable external pressures become, the more appealing buildings become.
Spiders
Spiders follow the crowd of food sources searching for cover in the winter. Whether they plan to overwinter as an adult or place some egg sacs, they are looking for protection from the elements. The longer they can stay close to food sources, the longer they can stay alive and active.
Ticks
Tic activity continues as long as there is warmth. Around 45 degrees is the cut off for diminished activity. Finding a warm host can be a fall time game changer for the tick.
Wasps
Self-propelled harpoons take on an extra aggressive behavior in the fall. As temperatures drop and populations are at their peak, competition for food increases. Besides the increased pressure within colonies, the simple chance of encountering a wasp increases.
Winter
Ants
As temperatures plummet, ants become sluggish. In order to survive, they find warm places to wait out the winter. This may be a home, a protective rock, some tree bark insulation, or whatever else they can find.
Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs keep on keeping on in the winter. As long as they can find Joe Dirt, a royal emperor, or anything in between to feed on, they will snuggle up close to their blood meal for the winter.
Bees
Bees stay active during the winter by clustering. They rotate positions in the cluster taking turns to get chilled to a motionless state. Then, the surrounding bees will push them back into the center to get warm again.
Box Elder Bugs
Box Elder Bugs go into a dormant state in the cold. Some that overwinter too close to a strong heat source such as the heat flow from the HVAC may come out in the dead of winter.
Centipedes
Hundo-leggers seek out seclusion that is dark and moist for their overwintering habitat.
Crickets
After the fall push, the adult crickets die as the cold moves in. This leaves the eggs to survive the winter where warm weather will trigger their hatch.
Cockroaches
While cockroaches may shift behavior slightly based off of adjusted heating. Most of their heat sources happen to be in close proximity to food.
Earwigs
Earwigs are generally inactive and in an overwintering state during the coldest months.
Millipedes
Millipedes overwinter, so they are likely to seek out places such as drains, sump pumps, or other moist places to pass the winter months.
Mosquitoes
Mosquito on green leafAs crazy as it may seem, there are mosquitoes that do well in cold and freezing temperatures. Outside of the snow mosquito, other mosquitoes are more typical. Some lay eggs and die while others have females that overwinter in protected holes.
Rodents
Rodents are well known for their activity in winter. With warmth radiating from structures, it is clear where they need to go for comfort. In addition to the warmth, the lack of food outside increases the pressure to at least explore what is inside of these abundant structures.
Spiders
Spiders are most active indoors in the winter. The spiders that hunt down their prey tend to be spotted more frequently than web builders, but webs do increase inside during winter as well. Spiders stay active as long as they can find a place warm enough to hunt/trap their prey.
Ticks
Ticks don’t free wander as much in the winter. They only roam if they have adequate protection from the elements. They either latch onto a host for a long winter ride, or they go dormant depending on life stage.
Wasps
Only the reproductive females overwinter as queens-to-be in the spring. The rest die off as food runs out or the elements do them in.
What to do when
Keep it simple. Regardless of the season or the pest, we have the staff trained and ready to take care of it for you. Schedule a free inspection at detroitpestcontrol.co.