Pest Expert Warns ‘Bug Boom’ will Infest Washington This Summer

Get ready to be buried by bugs this summer in Washington State!

Washington State Pest Populations Predicted to Explode This Summer

As meteorologists forecast a warmer-than-average summer with regular rainfall across Washington in 2024, experts are predicting a surge in pests that could have an impact statewide. The anticipated weather conditions are expected to largely increase populations of cockroaches, ants, spiders, houseflies, bed bugs, centipedes, crickets, and silverfish. These high numbers of insect pests in Washington State are expected to seek shelter indoors and thrive in the warm, moist environment.

The Pest Dude analyzed climate data from Climate.gov to identify the likely pests and provide insights into managing these predicted increases in the number of infestations. Each pest's behavior and treatment options were examined to offer practical advice for homeowners facing the coming infestation. The pests involved are ants, cockroaches, centipedes, spiders, houseflies, bedbugs, crickets, and silverfish.

Ants: Warm weather makes ants more active, while rain can drive them indoors. Effective treatments include: placing ant baits and traps strategically near entry points and along trails or sealing cracks and gaps to prevent their entry.

Cockroaches: In high temperatures and humidity, cockroaches look inside homes to search for food and shelter. Using baits and traps in key areas like kitchens and bathrooms, also thoroughly seal potential entry points and maintains a clean environment to keep them from being attracted in the first place.

Centipedes: Moisture attracts centipedes, making humidity control and decluttering important strategies to keep them away. Sealing entry points also prevent their entry into your home.

Spiders: Warmth increases spider activity but reducing clutter, sealing entry points, and using sticky traps to manage their presence indoors will help to control spiders.

Houseflies: Accelerated breeding cycles in warm weather make fly traps and maintaining cleanliness vital to keep houseflies from gathering around food sources.

Bed Bugs: Heat can increase the risk of bed bug infestations. Inspection, heat treatments, and professional extermination are recommended for effective control if you have an outbreak.

Crickets: Crickets breed in warm moist weather making them a problem. To help control a cricket outbreak, seal cracks, and use cricket traps to remove their population indoors.

Silverfish: They thrive in humid environments and are stopped by simply reducing moisture levels in your home, sealing entry points, and using traps to monitor and control their numbers.

Homeowners in Washington State are being advised to be proactive in pest prevention by implementing these strategies early in the season before a large problem explodes. Yes, pests pose less immediate danger compared to extreme weather events, but their presence can lead to significant nuisances and costly removal processes if not taken care of early. By understanding the behavior of these pests and employing the recommended targeted treatments, hopefully, you can avoid the impact of the expected 'bugs boom' this summer this year in Washington.