I’m sure you’ve noticed that once the weather begins to warm up insects seem to come out of the woodwork and appear everywhere you look. But what causes this? Scientists claim it is due to a complex mixture of rainfall, the availability of food, and the increasing temperatures. And scientists are saying this year we can expect an even bigger boom in insect activity.
To break it down even more, it all starts with rain. Rain helps plants to grow, which means there are more breeding environments for aphids. Thus the aphid population explodes with so much space to breed. Aphids themselves are a food source for many insect predators, causing their populations to grow in return. Aphid excrement is called honeydew, and it is very sweet. The more aphids there are, the more honeydew they are creating. Honeydew happens to be another major food source for many other insects, contributing to their increase in population. So, in short, rain brings plants, which brings the aphids, which then bring all the other insects. Isn’t the circle of life beautiful?
How bad do you think the insect population boom will be this spring and summer?
