July 25, 2012
Bugs like it hot: Record heat kicks insects into high gear
By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
As if this summer isn't bad enough already, the unusual warmth is turning bugs extra frisky.
"We're calling it a breeding bonanza," says Missy Henriksen of the National Pest Management Association.
Across the country, as a result of record heat, pests from grasshoppers to crickets and ants to bees are arriving earlier and in greater numbers than usual, entomologists at HomeTeam Pest Defense say.
"We're seeing an increase in a lot of different pests right now," company entomologist Russ Horton says.
Pest controllers are battling grasshoppers in Texas, ants in Florida, and crickets and bees across the country, he says.
"Insects develop more rapidly with higher temperatures," says entomologist David Denlinger of Ohio State University. He adds that insects did well this past winter given the lack of intense cold.
More: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-07-23/summer-bugs/56442572/1
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