Q: Am I imagining it or did the very wet spring cause an above-average infestation with mosquitoes, flies, fruit flies and other annoying insects? My house and yard are full of humming and biting creatures – even more so than usual. Is there any way to recover from this pesky arthropod invasion – especially those fruit flies?
Sandy Garcia, San Antonio
A: Mosquitoes, flies, fruit flies, fire ants, bees, wasps, yellow vests, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, spiders, chiggers, scorpions, millipedes, millipedes, crickets, mosquitoes, click beetles and cicadas. And mosquito eaters and junk bugs and kiss bugs and bed bugs and stink bugs and chinch bugs. And ladybugs. And doodles. Oh, and lighting bugs. And so on and so on and so on. Welcome to Texas, where the insects are far more reliable than the rain.
But when it rains abundantly, as it did across much of the state last spring and early summer, an aftereffect may actually be a rim shot in the general buggy of our rain-dampened environment. It’s not your imagination, Ms. Garcia. The Texanist, whose humble residence is in Austin, has noticed himself lately in thick clouds of hangry mosquitos around his house, as well as the ubiquitous houseflies, which have doubled or maybe even tripled this year. In May, the Texan was besieged by an army of boxer bugs, small red beetles, and larger black and red beetles, who gathered in large groups on the outside walls of his home.
Yet although the anecdotal evidence that you and the Texanist witnessed firsthand seems clear enough to conclude that excessive April showers bring not only mayflowers, but also plenty of creeping and crawling and buzzing pancrustacean hexapod vertebrates , the Texanist decided to stick to an actual one. to contact experts for a more specific answer to your question.
The expert he turned to is Wizzie Brown, a state-certified entomologist and long-time extension program specialist with Texas A & M’s Texas AgriLife Extension Service. Ms. Brown, who specializes in integrated pest control, first became aware of the Texan a few summers ago when he posted a Green Alert on Twitter asking for help in positively identifying chinch bugs in his garden. Although her answer came too late to save the large, quickly drying strips of the Texan’s once green lawn, he appreciated the help and was happy to seek her again.
Brown told the Texan that rain, in fact, often causes certain insects to show up in large numbers to mate. “Excessive rain can also cause more species of mosquitoes to emerge,” such as flood mosquitoes, which lay eggs that can sit in the ground for up to three years until heavy rains cause them to hatch, she said. “Rain can also cause certain arthropods, such as pill beetles [note: The Texanist has always called them doodlebugs, but whatever; she’s the expert] and millipedes wandering into our homes while trying to escape the water-saturated soil. And fire ants build bigger mounds to escape the wet ground. “
Because the Texan was curious, he asked the reverse: Are there fewer bugs in times of drought? Brown says there may be less “insect activity” during dry seasons, but there are usually still plenty of bugs around. This is Texas, after all. Some arthropods are even more common in hotter, drier times, such as the chinch bugs mentioned above that rummage in the lawns of unsuspecting and undeserved Texans.
Whether more or less bugs are generally a good thing, Brown depends on how a person thinks about insects, what insects we are talking about, and what those insects are up to. “If I have a lot of mosquitoes or fire ants in my garden, I wouldn’t be thrilled. But if I had a lot of pollinators like native bees, butterflies, moths etc then it would be great. Insects can be beneficial or harmful depending on where they are and / or what they’re doing, so take it on a case-by-case basis, ”she said. “For example, ladybugs in my garden that eat aphids are great, but when they move into my house to hibernate, they become pests. I can turn that around and say that termites that feed on my house are a pest, but if they break down a tree that has fallen in the forest into more usable nutrients, then they are useful decomposers. ”The Texan nodded approvingly, noting that Brown was totally a mom about all the possible benefits of chinch bugs. (The Texan’s own deliberate opinion on this: There are none!)
Although the Texan has no doubt that all of this scientific background is at least of interest to you, Ms. Garcia, he is well aware that you are really looking for what we call “service” here in the fourth estate. Aspect of your question: What in the name of Drosophila melanogaster can be done about these pesky fruit flies? The always helpful Brown happened to have some remedial suggestions. “The best way to control fruit flies – actually, the only way to really get rid of them – is to find out what the larvae feed on and dispose of them.” One source of fruit fly infestation is fruit. Brown says you should try not to buy overripe fruit and store ripe fruit in the refrigerator. Fruits that need to be kept at room temperature to ripen should be placed in a paper bag that is closed with a clip.
If you already have an infestation, as the Texanist recently did, you can also kill adults with a fly swatter or trap them with a purchased or homemade trap. The fruit fly trap DIY method is as simple as making a fruit fly cake. Simply place a small paper funnel (a portion of rolled-up notebook paper will do) in a glass baited with a few ounces of apple cider vinegar and place the glass trap (s) where fruit flies can be seen. This method, endorsed by both Texan and Wizzie Brown, has the added benefit of allowing the fruits (flies) of your efforts to float on your stomach by the dozen – in the middle of your otherwise hygienic and irresistible food storage and prep area.
Thanks for the letter and the bug appetite!
Do you have a question for the Texan? He is always available Here. Be sure to tell him where you are from.
