Why bug problems get worse after it rains | rain dropsWith all the rain we’ve had this winter here in Louisiana, you may have noticed how many bugs are out on the ground after a big rainstorm.  Go look outside after the next big rain, and you will likely see ants, worms, and many other bugs crawling around in your grass or on paved surfaces near your house.

There is a reason that all these bugs come above ground after a big rainfall, and if you understand this phenomenon, then you will be able to prevent these bugs from getting inside your house after it rains.

Bugs Go to Higher Ground

The reasons that bugs come out of the ground after a rain are very straightforward.  When it rains, the holes and cracks in the ground in which they live fill up with rainwater.  This does not kill the bugs; instead, it forces them to climb up out of the ground and to spend some time on the surface areas near your house.  So although you may only rarely see bugs outside most of the time, you will see hundreds of them after a day of rain.  They have come up out of the ground to save themselves, and they won’t go back underground until the rain stops and the water dries.

Your House Is a Bug Shelter

When lots of bugs come out of the ground, this means that there are more bugs around that can come into your house.  Additionally, the bugs that don’t live underground may try to get into your house as a means of getting away from the rain.  Many bugs don’t like getting what any more than humans do.  So in the same way that we run inside whenever the rain starts to fall, bugs also will start looking for shelter—and your house is one excellent place to take shelter.

This is one reason why you will see so many more bugs in your house during the summer than during the winter.  Though it is partly due to the fact that there are more bugs alive during the summer, the increase in bugs in your house is also due to the typically heavier rainfall during the summer months.  All that rain drives the bugs up out of the ground and into your home.

How to Keep Them Out

If you want to keep these bugs out of your home, you must take proactive measures to stop them from getting inside.  By yourself, you can do things like trimming trees, bushes, and hedges that are close to your house and which provide great habitats for underground insect colonies.

You can also call your local pest control specialists to apply a water-activated chemical to your yard and to the sides and seams of your house.  This granular chemical will be inactive until the next rainfall.  But when the rain comes, the grains will turn into an effective pesticide, and it will kill the great majority of the bugs coming up from the ground. As a result, you’ll no longer have to deal with so many bugs getting inside your home.

Why Bug Problems Get Worse When It Rains in Southern Louisiana

Ja-Roy Pest Control Services is a local Pest Control and Extermination company helping homeowners and businesses with pest issues across Southern Louisiana.

Serving Washington | Tangipahoa | Saint Tammany | Livingston | East Baton Rouge | West Baton Rouge | Orleans

Lafayette Parish | Caddo Parish | Calcasieu Parish | Ouachita Parish | Livingston Parish | Rapides Parish | Bossier Parish | Ascension Parish | Terrebonne Parish | Lafourche Parish | St. Landry Parish | Iberia Parish | Acadia Parish | Vermilion Parish

Recommended Posts