Annual Bug Barometer®predicts which pests will be most active this winter

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — The National Pest Management Association has released its latest Bug Barometer® forecasting tool, and they’ve found that bugs are going to be an issue for many Southerns this autumn.

The seasonal projection of pest activity draws parallels between weather patterns and pest biology, and according to predictions an unseasonably warm fall could help mosquitoes remain active later than normal this year.

The increased chance of mosquitoes is brought to you by drier-than-average conditions that can even send roaches scurrying indoors to find moisture this fall.

Bug Barometer® brought to you by the National Pest Management System

This year’s Bug Barometer® calls for extra mosquitoes and roaches in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. But it could be worse. Mississippi is set to experience an autumn filled with roaches, mosquitoes, and ants.

So that’s the bright side, unless you’re from Mississippi right now and wishing you didn’t have ants on your kitchen counter.

Dr. Jim Fredericks is the Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at NPMA. He said that when it comes to pests, even the slightest fluctuations in temperature and precipitation can have a significant impact on their populations and activity.

“A warm and wet fall, for example, can allow disease-carrying pests like ticks and mosquitoes to remain active and breeding much longer than we’d typically expect and just a few cold nights can result in a significant uptick in rodent sightings in homes,” said Fredericks.