Obviously, insects do not like the cold weather, and in most regions of the United States temperatures are currently dropping to levels that are inhospitable to most insects. Some insects hibernate, but most simply search for a warm place to hold up during the fall and winter months. Experts say that insect season is more or less over by October when much of the US becomes chilly. Naturally most people notice an increase in the amount of insect home invasions around this time every year. However, many people have also commented that different types of bugs can be found in homes each year. It makes sense that people will not always see the same types of insects invade their homes during the fall and winter months. After all, there are many different insect species in the world, and homeowners are bound to see different bugs crawling across their floors each year.
Different insects also survive and reproduce at different rates each year, and this is due to many factors. For example, maybe a large construction project took place near your home during the summer, which killed a variety of different insects by removing their natural habitat. This means that the insect prey that normally would have been consumed by those dead insects ended up surviving. Also, a change in nearby vegetation could result in one species enjoying a more successful year than normal. Or, even your own garden can attract different insects into your home, especially if this is the first year you planted a garden. So the types of insects that invade our homes during the fall and early winter months often change year by year.
According to Theresa Wilson, an education specialist at Zooamerica, this particular fall is seeing a lot of different types of ladybugs, stink bugs and box elder bugs. One species of insect that is particularly prevalent this year is the yellow jacket. These stinging insects are feeding off of fruit that has fallen from trees. Of course, yellow jackets will bother anybody eating or drinking something sweet, but they also seem to bother people who are consuming beer and eating meat. However, lady bugs, stink bugs and box elder bugs can also be an annoyance, as large amounts of these insects are often found soaking in the sun rays while perched on windowsills in order to stay warm. Lady bugs can become quite numerous, box elder bugs will jump from a wall and onto your face, and stink bugs can emit extremely foul odors. This is especially true when you squash them, so if you must dispose of a stink bug, or several, flush them down your toilet. Luckily, mosquitoes will be gone in most regions of the US, and the insects mentioned here do not carry disease.
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